No Such Thing
by Greg'sgirl5
Summary: Coincedences aren't real. The team is in danger while searching a narcissistic unsubs house. Will they make it out alive, or will a crazed serial killer have his way? Set in season 5. FINALLY, we have approached the epilogue!
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I only own my imagination!_

**No Such Thing.**

The night air was cold on her skin as the team stepped out of their vehicles. Soft grass squished under her feet and she pulled her gun out, as did the others.

This was the house of Mark Hubbell, the narcissistic serial killer they'd been after for days. He stalked his victims every move before somehow luring them into his car and kidnapping them. He'd torture them for hours before finally shooting them at point blank range. All the victims fit his profile, average women, red hair, and air of respectability... rare but important. Collectible.

He kept the woman's purse... and everything but her wallet. Probably a sign of remorse- wallets held pictures and personalized things. He liked the memories that came with the women, not the guilt.

Looking at his large house, and knowing what was inside made Emily shiver. She glanced around, but nobody seemed to notice. The team was gathered up ahead, whispering quiet instructions. She joined them silently, positioning herself between Morgan and Reid.

"Reid, Prentiss and I will take the back door, Hotch, JJ and Morgan take the front." Rossi was saying mutedly, each team member throwing the odd anxious glance towards the oddly expansive house.

"Why exactly are we going in if we don't have police with us?" JJ asked and Emily didn't miss the worried tone enlaced with her voice. Maybe that's what becoming a mother does to you.

Hotch sighed. "We don't have a choice, if we go with his MO, he'll be killing her tonight, possibly now." His voice was full of something Emily couldn't decipher, but she could pick apart the worry, anxiety and possible annoyance.

They all let the realization settle upon them, exchanging worried glances. She let her gaze focus on Reid for a split second, noticing the uncomfortable look on his already stressed face.

But she threw that thought to the back of her head, remembering she needed to stay alert. Hotch nodded and the team split up, eager to get this done and over with.

She followed Rossi silently, Reid staying behind her. It was almost always this way, somehow she felt the need to protect him. Look at what happened the last time he went off in the dark; got himself frickin kidnapped. So she was always in the front, except the times he wouldn't let her be. He was stubborn.

The wind howled and whipped her hair backwards as she walked, gun drawn, aiming at nothing, just the wall of the house. They were close to the back now, and she couldn't see Hotch, JJ or Morgan anymore.

The woods that surrounded the house formed an eerie boundary, forcing unease to bubble up inside her. That familiar feeling was building up in her gut, and despite her efforts, it was still growing. The fear mixed with anxiety and anticipation was rolling in her stomach and making her feel slightly ill.

But it was part of the job and they all knew it. So she followed on in their crouched steps, realizing she was dangerously far from focused.

Rossi looked back at her, the shadows flowing over his face. He motioned to her and Reid, hard to see in the darkness, but she got the gist of it. _I'll go in first, you and Reid follow. Then split up and clear the house._

Prentiss took one last shaky breath before she stepped onto the back porch, carefully silent. She could sense Reid behind her, maybe just an inch away. Some emotion rose in her, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She was probably just letting her over protectiveness shine through, and it felt good knowing he was safe beside her.

She had let her thoughts travel again and she internally scolded herself. But there wasn't much time, as Rossi had reached the door.

He turned the brass knob slowly, and Emily wasn't surprised when it opened easily. Mark Hubbell was a narcissist, he didn't think anyone would get into his house, after all in his mind, he was perfect. The door creaked open in the night, and with one quick nod they entered, guns aimed, breath forced.

The split up on instinct, no time for thought. Emily was on auto-pilot as she checked the kitchen, subconsciously noticing Rossi turn into the living room, and Reid disappear up the stairs. The house was cluttered, but narcissistic, psychotic touches were everywhere. The plaques on the wall had expensive frames and in some places, despite the clutter around them, books were stacked perfectly.

Once the kitchen and hallway were cleared, she retraced her steps, but didn't find any of her teammates. This was a big house though, with an adjoining guest house plus a separate barn. He could be anywhere.

She followed her gut and turned down another hallway, seeing a bathroom at the end. She almost jumped into the room but saw it was empty and began to walk back out, when she heard a metallic squeaking. _Shower curtains. _

Her eyes widened instantly and she whipped around to see Mark Hubbell standing in the shower, crowbar in hand, a maniacal smile plastered to his already demonic face. She raised her shaky gun and pulled the trigger, just as he ducked out of the way.

Shower tile flew through the air, along with the large bang, but no blood. As the air cleared she saw Hubbell stand back up, anger flashing in his eyes. Before she could even move, he swung the crowbar to her head and blackness consumed her.

XXX

Reid heard the gunshot and spun around, his body freezing over. Fear took hold of him and he ran back towards where he had come from, completely ignoring the rest of his search. Someone was in danger.

Logically speaking, it was most likely the unsub, but a small part of him didn't care about the statistics. He had the compulsive need to know if his team was safe, and in that moment he let it take over.

His footsteps echoed in the stuffy, dimly lit hallway as he almost scampered along it, completely on edge. His thoughts were going a million miles an hour, which technically was pretty slow when you thought about it so more like a trillion. Who had been shot? Who had been the shooter?

For some reasons the images in his head formed Emily Prentiss and JJ, but he couldn't quite comprehend why. Most likely because him and Prentiss had been held hostage not too long ago, and he still blamed himself. But he had reason to, he had been a coward. And he still had flashbacks about his kidnapping... he had been a coward then too.

He wasn't allowing that to happen this time, so he sped up his somehow awkward jog down the stairs he had so recently ascended, trying to make as little noise as possible. His gun was still aimed ahead of him, and his finger twitched menacingly on the trigger. Nobody hurt his family.

Once at the bottom of the steps, he wasn't sure where to go and yet he still wandered ahead, unable to stay still. The floorboard creaked under him, like something out of a horror movie. The house was still dark and it unnerved him- his irrational fear of the dark was unprecedented, but controlling.

A flash of movement caught his eyes, and his lightening fast reflexes aimed his weapon immediately, his heart feeling like it was hit by lightening. But his eyes adjusted as he saw Morgan's figure focus in his vision, and he sighed with relief. He was mimicked by the other man who looked just as 'freaked out' or frantic as he was.

Everybody heard that shot. But Reid took courage in the fact that one of his friends was safe. Now for the others.

Morgan nodded to him and they continued on, coming to a hallway. For a split second he considered splitting up, but remembering the last time he did that on a serial killers property, thought better of it. He moved in front of Derek, taking the lead for the first time on a while. As a profiler he could sense the other man's reluctance, but ignored it.

The hallway was mostly empty, a few light fixtures scattered the walls along with plaques and awards. Classic narcissistic behaviour.

Near the end of the hallway he saw an opening to what looked like a study or library- he couldn't be sure. After glancing into the doorway he looked back at Morgan for support and saw the same intentions in his eyes. So he continued on cautiously, finally making it to the wooden door.

It swung open when he pushed it, and he almost ran into the room, his gun pointed ahead, no doubt a close to terrified look on his face. They shouldn't have done this without cops. Not at all.

Morgan was close behind him as he rushed into the study, and they whipped their heads around as the searched, scared beyond their wits. The shelves of books where tall and dusty, most likely not used in a long time. You don't have time to read when you're a serial killer.

Reid was almost done searching when he heard the rough voice behind him. "Hello again Dr. Reid."

He spun on his heels, terror fuelling his heart. But it almost stopped when he saw a barely conscious Emily Prentiss in Mark Hubbell's arms.

The man looked absolutely maniacal, nothing like when Reid had previously interviewed him earlier in the week. His eyes were glassed over, as if in a trance and his lips curved into a sinister smile. He loved this part, because he loved power and the infliction of fear that came along with it. This was his drug.

"Put her down." Reid commanded, but knew he was getting nowhere. This man wouldn't do anything he said, whether he wanted to or not. It was below him.

Hubbell chuckled. "Not in your wildest dreams. This is fun." It was then that Spencer noticed the gun trained on Emily's head. How had he missed that?

He allowed himself a millisecond to inspect her, and saw the blood dripping down her scalp, staining her ivory skin. Her eyes were drifting open and closed, her weight almost fully supported by the unsub. The thought made Reid sick. His best friend was being held so close by someone so twisted and damaged...

His gun was now aimed directly at Hubbell's head, which had now cocked to the side speculatively.

"You don't like this situation do you Reid? It's uncomfortable for you... almost sickening." Hubbell muttered insanely, only fuelling the anger inside of Reid. But if he shot, so would the unsub. And then Emily would be gone.

"You're absolutely right. Now put her down." Came Morgan's voice from behind him, but he didn't move the slightest. His vision noticed the other criminologist beside him, gun also clocked at the man's sinister eyes.

"No thank you, Detective Morgan. I'm in charge here. You make a wrong move and Detective Prentiss is gone for good. You don't want that do you? I know you value your team's lives..." Hubbell ranted eerily, making Reid's stomach roll.

"So I'm going to tell _you _what to do now boys." Hubbell continued. "Put your guns down, straight on the floor, right now."

"No." Reid said without hesitation. There was no way in hell.

"Well then, Emily dies I guess." Hubbell said crazily. But Reid brain was now racing beyond belief.

This wasn't just a serial killer. No, this was much more. He had said Emily. _Emily. _They never mentioned her name. And wasn't it just convenient that while they're in town another serial killer pops up on their radar. This wasn't a coincidence. This was personal.

Reid looked at Morgan, fear clear in his eyes. But it was mirrored with the other agent, obvious that he had figured out the same thing. His brown eyes were now almost icy.

He looked back at the unsub furiously, on the brink of hysteria. There was no way out. No frickin way out. They were screwed. Emily was _not _getting hurt on his watch.

"Say goodbye." Hubbell whispered, pushing Prentiss's own gun into her forehead. The tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

Until Reid let his own weapon clatter to the floor.

**Off to a good start? It's my first Criminal Minds fic, so PLEASE review! :D 3**


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I only own my imagination!_

**No Such Thing.**

Reid kept his eyes locked on Hubbell as the man stood staring at the FBI's dropped weapon, shock in his face. His eyes were flickering between the FBIs and the floor, faster and faster. Was it wise to drop his gun? Absolutely not. But then there was Emily...

He looked at her once again, worry radiating out of him. She was still slumping in the unsub's grip, but he could tell she was vaguely aware of what was going on around her. She most likely had a concussion, and Reid knew she needed to lie down very soon.

He looked at Morgan who still had is gun pointed directly at the killer. He was sweating with anger and adrenaline, but Reid knew that underneath that was the same fear pooling inside of his own gut. The other agent looked his way for a second, but he had defiance in his eyes.

With a sigh, Reid spoke in the thick air. "Drop it."

Morgan looked at him like he was crazy. Delusional. Insane. But he wasn't.

"Reid, I can't just-" Morgan started, but he wouldn't let him finish.

"Derek...Just...Just drop it." He stuttered out, shutting his eyes in frustration. This might just be the worst mistake in his life, because this right here could end it.

But then there was Emily, who was gaining slightly more consciousness every minute, and she was a fighter. This killer didn't like fighters. She'd be dead fast... They all would.

When he reopened his eyes he saw Morgan giving him a ludicrous look, but chucking his gun to the carpeted floor. It made a muted thud as Hubbell raised his eyebrows.

"I didn't expect you two of all people to cooperate. But, I thank you for it. It makes my job a little easier." He said with a sinister tone. A sick feeling rose once more inside of Reid, but he forcefully shoved it down.

"Mark," Morgan said slowly. "We did what you said, now let Detective Prentiss go."

The unsub began to laugh in sheer amusement. Spencer saw the insanity in his eyes. They may have not noticed this was personal, but they were right about one thing- he had suffered a psychotic break, and he was literally, sinisterly insane.

"Ah, no. You seem to have forgotten Derek, I'm in charge here, unless you don't care for Emily's life. You two are going to do _just _as I say." Hubbell stated, his voice varying in pitch- a clear sign of a severe snap in his sanity.

"We can do that." Reid said as calmly as he could. It was all he could say. Emily was stirring and trying to move now, and the last thing he wanted was for her to fully awaken in the killer's arms.

"Good choice. Now first, kick your guns towards me." He said, and looked at their feet expectantly. Reid sighed and shoved his weapon towards the unsub forcefully, and a defeated Morgan did the same. When the two guns were in front of him, Hubbell kicked them to the side of the library aisle and smiled.

"Now, if you will, follow me." He replied, and began to shuffle backwards. Prentiss's feet dragged as she tried weakly to keep up, but the hit to her head was obviously bad. "Oh and don't think about making a run for it, or trying to grab your guns. You know what I did to those other women, and you know just what I'll do to your friend."

Reid exchanged a look with Morgan, before following the killer, hands raised in a showing of innocence. They slowly moved after him, Reid watching Prentiss carefully. She was coming in and out of consciousness, attempting to walk backwards with Hubbell, which hard enough to do without a concussion.

They made it back into the front of the study, where there were a few tables and couches, perfect for someone who was meticulous at planning. Once they were in the open, Reid noticed one terrifying thing. There was no other way out of this room. No windows, or second doors.

"Alright Mark," Morgan said with his hands still high. "We followed you. We aren't going to do anything, just give us Detective Prentiss."

"You're free to call her Emily you know, I'm on a first name basis here." Hubbell taunted, and Reid felt the bile rise in his stomach. How long had this guy been looking into them? Possibly stalking... watching every move?

"Fine. Give us _Emily. _We did what you said, we aren't going to try anything. You know that Mark, you know because you watched us didn't you?" Reid said, his possible know it all air filling the room. "You've been watching for days, maybe weeks. So you know we just want her safe."

Hubbell's face screwed up in potential anger at the minor FBI figuring him out, but it soon changed to amusement.

"Yes, I watched you Spencer. I watched you all. What gave it away? Not that it matters- I have you now." He taunted back, trailing the barrel of Emily's gun up and down her cheek.

"You called her by her first name. When we interviewed you previously we introduced her as Detective Prentiss, not Emily." Reid answered back, eager to get her out of the psychopath's arms.

"Ah, I see. Maybe I did that on purpose though..." He said narcissistically, not admitting his own mistake. Because he couldn't see it himself. "But, no matter. I'm in charge here, and you followed my rules, so I'll give you Emily."

He pulled the gun away from Prentiss's head and aimed it at the two men, before shoving her forwards forcefully. She stumbled quickly, completely disoriented from her head injury, and tripped over nothing. As she fell Reid lunged forwards and caught her in his arms, supporting her weight with some effort.

The gun was stilled trained on him, but he paid it little attention as Emily gained her footing once more. He put a studying arm around her waist, something he had never done before, although he wasn't sure why that was a relevant point at the time.

"Now what do you want?" Morgan asked loudly, feeling like he may have an upper hand. But Reid knew otherwise. This man had his plan and nothing would ruin it.

"Oh I want many, many things," Hubbell started, but Spencer let his attention go to Emily, who was leaning on him weakly.

"Are you okay?" He breathed silently, one part of his brain listening to the unsub's wishes for power over everyone, and for everyone to realize he was right, and the other part focused on his friend.

"I think so... He.. He hit me with a crowbar... the rest is black..." She muttered mutedly, obviously aware of the danger she was in. The concussion must be severe, she was still using him as a full support and her head was halfway onto his shoulder.

Reid directed his attention back to Mark Hubbell, who was staring at him. His icy blue eyes were piercing into him, like arrows shot from a bow.

"But I _will _get my way. And your team will pay for the mistakes you've made." He spat at them, nostrils flaring in the process. So this was about paying for sins? Serial killers like that are rare... even rarer in small towns such as these.

With that, the unsub turned, with his gun still pointed at them, and bent down to gather their own weapons in his arm. When he spun once more he had a demonic look on his face.

"I've got half of you. Three more to go." He said roughly and walked out the door, slamming it shut behind him. A lock echoed through the air and Reid looked at Morgan.

"Shit."

XXX

JJ looked down the second hallway, her gun leading her. The shot seemed like it was ages ago, and she still couldn't find anything. She'd been searching the guest house thoroughly, checking every nook and cranny, but it seemed fully empty.

With a frustrated sigh, she made her way back to the front door, hoping to find something elsewhere. Somebody had fired their gun. Somebody was hurt, or maybe dead. She needed to find out who.

Her hand found the doorknob in the darkness and turned it slowly, pulling the surprisingly silent door open and allowing the cool night air to blow inside. It sent a shiver down her spine, but she knew she had no choice.

Her feet stepped across the dewy summer grass, and she clicked her flashlight on silently. The beam of light extended through the air, forming a beacon of guidance in the nightmare they were in.

The shot she'd heard was still echoing in her ears, like it was only moments ago, even though she knew it wasn't. The fear that had rocketed through her veins was still present, but was being over taken by anxiety and impatience.

Her steps sped up as she felt worry consume her. She was just noticing how close the trees were to the house. The woods were dark and seemingly never ending, like something out of a scary movie. She wasn't sure why she hated the woods so much, she just did. She couldn't figure it out for the life of her.

And yet her gun remained firmly in her hands, leaning against her department issued flashlight, pointing straight ahead. Back to the house. The house where those women fought and lost. The house where they were tortured and killed.

The night suddenly seemed colder on her skin, as she felt as though she was being watched. She spun around, looking all around the darkness but saw nothing. A snap sounded in the increasing terrifying blackness, and she sucked in a breath.

She swore she could hear a footstep on the moist grass. She shook her head and rushed forwards again, eager to shake her paranoia. That is, until she heard someone take a breath behind her.

"Jennifer Jareau..." A speculative voice sounded, and she spun instantly, but her gun was knocked out of her hand by another. A gasp escaped her mouth as her head was hit hard by someone's fist.

She fell to the ground, slightly disoriented and feeling the throbbing pain fill her skull. Someone was on top of her quickly, pinning her hands to the soft ground. She breathed out heavily as her mind raced and tried to find any way out.

"Not wise to be outside so late at night..." A voice she immediately recognised as Hubbell's whispered eerily into her ear, sending an electric shock down her spine. She felt fear well up in her stomach, a pool of terror swirling inside her.

"Get off me." She spat, and struggled to get out of his extremely firm grasp. He smelled of cheap cologne and gasoline, and his breath was hitting the back of her neck harshly, making goosebumps freckle her delicate skin.

"Oh I don't think so _JJ_," The unsub taunted disturbingly and shock rocketed through her spine as he called her by her nickname. He had been watching.

She fought to move but he brought her arms back to their position, staining her sleeves with grass. Her breath was now infrequent and forced, fear radiating out of her pores. She struggled to maintain her brave facade, but it was crumbling.

"You and your team aren't going _anywhere._"

**So? I know its shorter, but after watching 'Lauren' I was in a bit of a depression... :/**


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I only own my imagination!_

**No Such Thing.**

"Guys, I'm fine, really." Emily protested as Reid forced her onto the couch. She had to admit it felt a little better this way, but she hated being treated like she was weak.

"Emily, if you don't lie down, I'll make you." Morgan muttered annoyingly, gripping her shoulder in a declaration of honesty. She groaned and tried her best to shoot him a dirt look, but failed due to the throbbing of her head.

"Seriously, you have a severe concussion. If you don't lie down, the side effects could be dangerous, not to mention the lack of healing that would follow... 30% of concussion victims-" Reid spouted off his facts, but she put her hand on his.

"Ugh, I'm lying down, I'm lying down." She told him, leaning back with Morgan's hands supporting her shoulders. Her head lay softly on the red cushion, the velour fabric feeling strange on her tousled hair.

The room was large around her, but at the same time stuffy and dusty. The books that lined every wall and shelf ranged from childish novels to Greek mythology to hundred year old transcripts. Everything was neatly stacked despite the rest of the house's clutter. It was strange for someone so psychotic to have one room out of place.

"So he targeted us." She spoke out matter-of-factly and moved her eyes, not without pain, to look Reid in the eyes.

"Yes. And he's obviously done extensive background checks on all of us." He replied in his signature tone. The fact that a psychopath had been stalking her, stalking the whole team, hit her like a ton of bricks.

"How do you know?" Morgan questioned him, while keeping his firm hold on Emily's shoulder. It seemed like he still thought she could fall at any moment, despite the obviously well supported couch underneath her.

"He said we'd pay for our mistakes. So not only does he know what those are, but this is probably very personal." Reid answered back, an uncomfortable look filling his usually calm face. Emily tried to shoot him a comforting look, but pain filled her eye cavities and she gave up.

"Well he's going after the rest of the team too. We need out of here, and we need out now." Emily said harshly, her overpowering protectiveness consuming her will.

Reid and Morgan both shot her ridiculous looks. "You aren't going anywhere. We on the other hand, need to find a way out of here." Derek told her firmly, but also with a caring squeeze to her shoulder.

He stood and walked towards the large wooden door, and shoved his fist against it. It didn't budge, provoking him to shove his shoulder against it, but it still didn't give in the slightest. It was obviously locked tightly, and nothing was going to make it move.

So how could they stop this? He was going after the rest of the team, and they were trapped in here, useless and overpowered. Wait... They didn't have to stop the man... just warn the others...

"Reid, try calling them." Emily said quickly, fumbling for her own phone. But he already had his out so she relaxed into the cushions again, and tried to focus on anything but the pain in her skull. It was excruciating, and increasing by the minute. She knew the basics about concussions, and she'd had her fair share but... this seemed a lot worse.

Reid dialled a number, which she recognised as Hotch's from the small differently pitched noises the keyboard made, and put the phone to his ear. Emily sighed angrily as the phone made the familiar frequent beeping, indicating a lack of service.

"No service. Of course." He muttered and snapped the phone shut impatiently.

Prentiss was feeling more and more hopeless every second. Why hadn't they figured this out? More importantly, why hadn't _she _figured this out? She had been in charge of the interview. And the profile. And the background checks. So why hadn't she spotted this? Now it all seemed so obvious... so... black and white. She must be pretty stupid to have not noticed that.

"Guys..." She started and saw the sympathetic look form on Reid's face.

"Don't do that." He said softly, putting a hand on hers and stroking her fair skin with his thumb. She was transported back to the plane trip after the Cyrus case, but now the roles were reversed. She felt a small wave of embarrassment wash over her.

"Do what?" She asked, although it was more of a statement than a question. He gave her a concerned look. She felt Morgan's eyes on her as well.

"Blame yourself. I can see it in your eyes Emily. And you need to stop. You couldn't have known, and neither could we. If you remember, _you're_ the one who told _me _how..." He paused, trying to find the right word maybe. "...how stupid that is."

"Reid, I was in charge of looking up the background information, the interviews and all the research. And yet I still missed this. What does that say about me?" She asked quietly, completely caught up in her own thoughts. Her mind was racing, but it was like there was a road block, forcing her to go in circles over, and over, and over again.

"It says this guy is smarter than we thought." Morgan said and walked to where they were, to lean on the arm rest of the seat across from her. "He played this off as a normal serial, when it was the opposite. And he's a good actor, Reid was at that interview, and if he didn't notice something, this guy could win an Oscar. This isn't your fault Emily."

She sighed, but didn't listen to him. He was just lying right? They both were. Just like when you told an upset child that it's okay when everyone else knows full well it's not. Emily didn't like being lied to, or babied, or... consoled. In fact it made her uncomfortable.

She opened her mouth to speak again, but Reid spoke over her. "You need to stop worrying and relax. It's not good to have additional stress on top of a concussion." He said, in the familiar formal tone that often flowed into the air.

She half chuckled, earning raised eyebrows from her friends, and a whole lot of pain from her still bleeding head wound.

"I'm pretty sure I'm not relaxing any time soon..." She said, but her voice went stone cold near the end of her sentence. Morgan gave her a worried look, the realization of their situation seemingly weighing them all down. She glanced at Reid, who was now staring at his hands, something she saw him do very little nowadays.

But she couldn't put much thought into it, as the sound of metallic locks un-clicking filled the small study.

XXX

JJ stared in shock, as the man pulled her roughly into the room. It was a small study, filled wall to wall with books. But what didn't belong, were her friends...her _family_. Reid was sitting half heartedly on the floor, his hand on Emily's. She was lying on the couch with her other hand to her... _bleeding _head. Morgan saw her being lead in and moved forwards slightly instinctually.

She cried out in pain, as the man shoved her onto the wooden floor. Her knees hit hard, her palms failing to break the sudden, unexpected impact. It shook within her head as she turned to stare at Mark Hubbell, evil in her eyes.

"JJ." Reid said, somewhat childlike. Just hearing him so hopeless made her heart wrench.

"Yes, Spencer," Hubbell said tauntingly, aiming his gun at JJ, as she sat upright and leant her head against the closest armchair. "I brought you JJ. And I'll bring you Hotch and Rossi as well. And then the fun will really begin."

She felt bile rise up in her stomach as the psychopathic man stared at her with a maniacal smile. She stared back, not exactly sure why, but the hatred was no doubt radiating from her.

"You're sick." She spat in his direction. He raised an eyebrow and smirked sadistically.

"Oh no, it's the world that's sick, not me." He said simply and narcissistically and then looked at Emily, who had moved to sit up, but was holding her head like it might crack apart at any second. JJ could see the pain in her eyes, and wished she could sit beside her.

"What do you want?" Emily said tiredly, obviously fed up with his game. Although the way she asked was more of a statement than a question, and an impatient one at that.

"You'll find out. You all will." He taunted, before backing out through the doorway, and pulling on the wooden door slowly. His face disappeared behind the barrier, but nor before he winked directly at JJ one last time. It sent shivers up and down her spine, adding to her already unpleasant feeling.

The locks clicked outside the door and the room was silent for a few seconds, and nobody moved. Time seemed to slow down, as she continued to stare at the door, unable to think of much else. But movement caught her eye and she snapped out of it, turning to see Morgan beside her.

She struggled to stand up, but teetered and he caught her by the arm, a small smile on his face. She wasn't sure why, but she smiled too. She was just happy to see the three alive, knowing their predicament. But it wasn't a good one, and they all knew it.

"You okay?" He asked quietly and lessened the grip on her fair skin.

"Fine." She assured him. "You?"

"Alright. Can't say the same for Emily though..." Morgan said and trailed off turning to look at the woman who sat up stubbornly, despite Reid's efforts to get her to lie down.

JJ walked uneasily towards her friend and looked her in the eyes. "What the hell happened to you?"

"Sadistic serial killers and crowbars don't mix." She said and grunted as she moved her head sideways.

"He jumped you?" JJ asked, even though she'd understood. Emily Prentiss wasn't one to be caught by surprise, let alone jumped by a killer. She was now looking at JJ with regret and embarrassment in her eyes.

"He was behind the shower curtains. I can't believe I didn't check... I even do it at my own apartment." She muttered and winced once more. JJ had received her fair share of concussions, and new the sharp pains Prentiss was experiencing didn't get much better.

"We all make mistakes." Reid said quietly. JJ looked at him, _really _looked at him for the first time. His newly short hair was rustled, no doubt from raking his fingers through it, a habit he'd developed after the Hankel case. His hands were now in his lap, shaking ever so slightly. He did that involuntarily when he was worried or guilt ridden. Her heart panged in empathy. He suddenly looked up at met her eyes, staring with a feared intensity.

She looked away quickly, unsure of how to react. "You're not the stupid one. He jumped me in the open. I didn't even see it coming."

The three looked back at her with anxiety and fear filled looks before she added a quick "Guys. I'm fine."

Only a second passed when Spencer spoke up. "_That,_" He said and lightly touched the bruise obviously patterned across her cheek. "doesn't look like it's fine."

"Relax. I'm okay. We just need to focus on getting out of here." She spoke in her signature voice, motherly instincts running through her. All of a sudden the horrible thoughts were hitting her like arrows. Her son may never see his mom again. How stupid was she? She might have just thrown away her life.

"Door won't budge. No cell service. No other exits." Morgan said, the most frustrated she'd heard him in a long time. His eyes were filled with an indescribable anger... possibly guilt triggered. She wished to reach out and hug him, but refrained.

"Well he got what he wanted." Emily said softly, almost as if she hadn't wanted to. Before JJ had the chance to ask, Reid answered her.

"No variables. No failure. Total control."

**So? I know it's uneventful, but some really bad stuffs been going on in my family, and I'm sorryy! More on the way!**


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I only own my imagination!_

**No Such Thing.**

Hotch jumped around another dark corner, somehow getting more and more nervous with each one. He had already figured out his team was in danger. As if the gunshots weren't enough, he hadn't bumped into any of them, a fact that was freezing his stomach over in fear.

What was this about? Hubbell was a sadistic narcissist, yes, but this couldn't be random. The string of killings, conveniently while they were in the same town, the large and darkened house, and the gunshot all meant one thing. This was all planned, and very, very well at that.

He met a long hallway, just like many other's he had gone between, wondering why this house was laid out this way. It was confusing, like a maze, and each hallway was similar, but obviously not the same. Different light fixtures and picture frames set them apart, but it was still an eerie similarity.

Despite his nerves, he continued on, determined to save his team. They were everything to him. After Haley died, they became his support system. He cared about them like he had no other, and he still did. And yet his thoughts still came back to Jack. Small, innocent, beautiful Jack. He couldn't lose his life here, for Jack's sake. He already lost his mother. He couldn't lose his father too.

But every member of his team meant the world to him also. He couldn't imagine any of them getting hurt, because the agony that it cause himself was too much. They we're all so special, he just couldn't imagine anything happening to them.

_There was Rossi, who he was especially close to. The man was caring and generous, but also notoriously tough and smart. He had saved dozens of lives, with just his well thought out words. Wisdom radiated out from him, and to think of him getting hurt, made Aaron's heart sting._

He kicked in a door, looking into an empty bathroom, and kept going along the hall.

_There was JJ. She was beautiful, flowing and caring. But also tough as nails and icy when in danger. But she had Henry and Will. Nothing could happen to her, because if it did, they would lose her, and that just couldn't happen. Just the thought of someone laying a hand on her, hurt him._

He opened another door, this time seeing an empty room, just a bare cot lying against the far wall. He cleared it, before moving on.

_And there was Morgan. Morgan was the tough one, all man, all force. But he had an underside of humour, love and understanding. He had endured a horrible childhood, but he made it through, making him incredibly strong, yet incredibly fractured. Hotch couldn't imagine him getting hurt, it just made him want to fall apart._

He shoved into another door, but once again, found nothing. He spotted a picture frame on the wall, and paused to inspect it briefly. A young boy was sitting on a wooden floor, beside an old looking dog, stroking his ear. Hotch assumed it was Hubbell, and wondered how a loving little boy could turn into this.

_And then there was Emily. She was strong, and funny, sarcastic and charismatic. She captured every eye in the room, which sometimes proved to be a very bad thing. She never let her fear show; only her over-protectiveness for her family. She wouldn't let anything happen to them, no matter the cost. And that's what he was worried about. No doubt she'd jump in front of a bullet for them, but the thought of it made Aaron cringe._

He stepped down the hallway once more, and realised there were no ore doors. Although near the end he saw a set of stairs, and with a quick glance backwards, decided to rush towards them.

_And last of course, was Reid. He was... unique for sure. But he was intelligent, complex and troubled. And yet when you looked further he had more emotions in him than Hotch had ever seen; happiness, humour, thankfulness, respect. The list continued forever. And he was always the baby of the team. Yet somehow, everything bad that could happen to him, did. And hid boss couldn't imagine something more happening._

The stairs were steep and he had to take them slowly, as to avoid creaking. His gun was shaky in front of him, something that happened little. But this was different. He had heard that shot clean as day, and he was terrified as to who it had hit. Or had it hit anyone? No doubt the unsub was still at power, the team would have found him by now and they would be long gone. But that hadn't happened.

He made it to the bottom of the stairs, and turned the corner swiftly, but stood in shock for a moment. Hubbell was standing casually in the hall, smiling at him. His first thought was to pull the trigger, up until he noticed that the unsub was holding a gun as well, but had it pointing to the right.

Hotch risked a look and his heart skipped a beat. An unconscious Rossi was laying on the floor, blood trickling down his head. He was alive, and for that Hotch was grateful, but for how long exactly? That cold feeling of fear began consuming his gut.

"Hello, Hotchner." Hubbell said and smiled at him.

XXX

The look on Aaron Hotchner's face brought pleasure to Mark Hubbell. He saw emotions flit between his eyes, like little lights switching on and off. It made him shiver inside, to see him internally struggle.

"Aren't you going to ask me why, or ramble off some profiler brain wash?" He asked Hotch blatantly and smiled at him, tilting his gun back and forth, still aimed at Rossi. Hotchner's eyebrows raised and lowered, as he seemingly struggled with the best way to deal with this.

"Mark, you..." Aaron started off, but found himself at a possible loss for words, and Mark spoke before he could.

"No, no. I'm the one who'll be explaining the rules here. You're going to put your gun down, and kick it towards me. It would be very unwise of you not to comply, as I have the power to kill David here." He taunted, and felt more pleasure. He enjoyed the feeling of control, and fed off it. After all, he was the one who deserved control. The other's were wrong. But not him. No, he was the one who understood how things should work.

"I'm not putting down my gun Mark." Aaron said surprisingly monotone, but he saw the anger, and fear the man's eyes. Hubbell fought to stay calm, and not snap in anger. Nobody defied him. His way was the only way.

"Yes, I think you will. You have two options Agent Hotchner. You can put your gun down, and do what I say, _or _I'll shoot you, Rossi over here, and then I'll go and kill every person on your team. You know what I'm capable of, so don't think I won't hurt them." He said slowly, his tone remaining calm, but hinting at danger. He needed to let Hotch know how powerful and superior he was.

He saw the confusion in the other man's eyes, but before he could focus on it, Rossi stirred on the floor. He snapped his head towards him, and felt a tingle of power fill him as the man appeared so weak, waking up on the carpet without a weapon or explanation. He saw the two FBIs exchange looks, and moved his eyes to stare down Hotchner.

"Wouldn't the rest of your team be disappointed to learn that you knowingly refused me, when their lives were at stake? Their last thoughts before I killed them would be wondering why you would sentence them to death, in front of each other. Do you really want that?" He rambled on, desperate to show that he wasn't kidding. They needed to know he was in charge. Him and nobody else.

He saw the realisation form in Hotch's eyes.

"That's right. I have them already. All of them. So make a wise choice here Aaron." He added on, getting highly impatient. He needed the pleasure of control.

They stood in standoff for a moment, Hotch's FBI issued gun pointing at him, and his own pointing straight at Rossi. The man on the floor was communicating with Hotch by eye contact, and holding his bleeding head wound.

Then finally, the sound of a gun falling to the floor filled Mark's ears, and he felt the sinister, powerful feeling fill his stomach.

XXX

Reid's head whipped upwards when he heard the door unlock. His heart sunk even lower as he saw the unsub lead in Hotch and Rossi, both looking extremely worried and Rossi with blood dripping down his forehead, much like Emily's.

Everyone held their breath as the man shoved them inside, and shut the wooden door behind him. Hotch followed behind Rossi who almost fell into the armchair Morgan vacated.

"You guys okay?" He asked quietly, and they nodded at him.

"What the hell do you want? We did what you asked, and you have control." Morgan said loudly, and raised his arms in frustration. Mark Hubbell's gun moved from the two most recent captures, straight to him.

Reid sucked in a struggled breath. Morgan was pissing him off. And a narcissistic, sexual sadist was not someone you pissed off. Ever.

"I know." Hubbell said simply, and stepped towards them.

"Well you must know that by taking us of all people, you _are _going to jail this time. You aren't going to get away with anything." Emily spouted from the couch, her hand now bloodstained and firmly attached to her no doubt pounding head.

"Maybe. But that's all the more reason to make this the most fun it's ever been." He said back, and took another step towards them. They all tensed visibly, and he noticed Hotch become suddenly stiff, probably due to protectiveness.

Reid exchanged a worried look with Rossi, who looked like he was in a huge amount of pain. This wasn't good. Not good at all. Nobody would look for them yet. They hadn't even called the damn cops. He knew he had been right when he's argued with Hotch about it. But no, the man had decided to be stubborn, and now they were here alone, without anyone knowing. It could take hours before anybody noticed! They could be dead by then.

_No_. He forced himself to stop right there, before his mind went into overdrive. _Stay calm. _

"Now..." Hubbell said and stepped forwards so he was right beside them, his gun moving between targets. Suddenly, he grabbed JJ by the hair, and dragged her back slightly, his gun now pressed into her skull.

Spencer wasn't the only one who moved forwards instinctively as she struggled pointlessly, and tried to control her breathing. That fear in his stomach flared as Reid fidgeted, unable to think about what to do. He had no choice really.

"You all know this is personal. You need to be taught a lesson. You go messing with people's lives and then leave them in pieces. You deserve to be in pain." Hubbell said menacingly, and Spencer's heart raced. Not JJ. Not her of all people. He wanted it to be him. JJ needed Will and Henry, and they needed her.

"Don't touch her." Hotch growled, and Mark chuckled darkly. His gun still pressed into JJ's hair, and Spencer found himself looking into her eyes. The intensity that usually filled the blue orbs had vanished, leaving behind only fear and anxiety.

"Well unless I change my mind, it's gonna be her, Hotch." He used his nickname with a smirk, and scanned their faces.

Spencer needed to do something. Only a millisecond had passed, and nobody had spoken in the thick air. He was still staring into her eyes, fidgeting his fingers. He couldn't let her get hurt. Nobody on the team could. They all had family and people who loved them. He personally had his mother, yes, but they had friends, and family, and everything you could ever ask for.

So with a shaky breath, he spoke, "Hurt me, not her." And watched as everyone's eyes settled on him.

**Like it? Come on, review for me? Sorry it's so late, it's tough writing 2 stories at once! :p Review please 3**


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: I only own my imagination!_

**No Such Thing.**

"Hurt me." Reid repeated, and Morgan looked at him in shock. What the hell was he doing? Reid couldn't get hurt...he was...Reid. He was innocent and young and... No. No, it should be Morgan himself who got hurt.

"Reid! No, don't touch him, or JJ. You can have me I-" He began to say, standing up to the man who had JJ in his grasps, gun to her forehead, maniacal smirk on his lips.

But Reid interrupted. "Shut up, would you? We all know I'm the one with the least to live for. I'm not trying to sound suicidal, but you can't ignore the facts. You all have families who love you, and people who need you."

Morgan was literally ready to pin the younger man down and talk sense into him. Of course he had people who loved and needed him! His mother and the whole team! It couldn't function without him, and it never, ever would.

"Reid, yes you do, what are you even talking about?" Emily asked loudly, and Morgan whipped his head around to see the terrified look on her face. What had gotten into Reid? Was he feeling guilty or something?

"You know what?" Mark said loudly, and everyone looked at him silently, even JJ stopped struggling. "I like your idea Spencer. Come here."

Morgan was literally so ready to kill Hubbell, seeing the light in his eyes. The crazy glint to them was enough to make him sick to his stomach. They'd all seen the pictures of the bodies. This man wasn't one to hold back on anything.

Reid stood up shakily, and stepped forwards, but Hotch and Morgan were in front of him within seconds. Both put a hand on him, trying to block his way.

"Move." He said simply, with a stern voice.

"Reid, I'm not letting you get hurt." Hotch told him, but he still didn't give up.

"And I'm not letting JJ get hurt. Or Emily or Morgan or you or Rossi. Okay? You don't have to like it, but you don't have any input here." Reid said with the rare defensive attitude he usually kept at bay.

Then the younger man gently shoved past his boss and came face to face with Derek. But Morgan wasn't letting him through, and put a hand on his shoulder.

"No man." He told the young doctor in front of him, watching as anger flashed in his eyes. He seemed to stare him down, and both stayed very still for a moment. That was, until Hubbell called out from behind him, impatient as ever.

"I don't have all day. Neither does JJ if you don't hurry up."

Reid suddenly shot Morgan a look, so clear and resolute that it was almost disturbing. He wasn't sure exactly what it was intended for, but he knew the gist of what the young man was trying to explain to him. That it would be okay, and he needed to back off. But he just couldn't. Because it was most definitely _not _going to be okay.

"I'll be fine guys." Reid told them, but Derek knew it was directed to him. Regretfully, he moved to the side, and felt guilty not one second later. But then there was JJ, who had a gun to her haed and... he just didn't trust Hubbell not to press the trigger. So what would he do to Reid? What maniacal thought was he having? What twisted fantasies?

Derek shuddered out of fear. Hubbell was a sexual sadist. They all knew what that meant. Torture.

"Keep telling yourself that Spencer." Hubbell said with a grin.

Everyone in the room became visibly tense as Reid reached Mark, and looked at him expectantly. The sadist grinned even more, and shoved JJ to the floor, moving to grab the awkward genius around his neck. His gun pressed into Reid's temple, but the young man remained surprisingly calm.

"Come along Spence, we have things we need to do." The unsub stated, and began to drag him from the room. Everybody spoke at once, in a blur of accusing words. But nobody moved, absolutely scared to death that Mark's finger would pull the trigger.

"Where are you taking him?" Rossi asked, the loudest of all their voices. He had managed to stand up, but like Emily, was pressing his hand firmly to his skull.

"Wherever I want to." Hubbell replied with a smirk, and backed up to the door. Reid's eyes were flickeringly calmly between the team members, but it was obviously fake reassurance, as Morgan could see the fear that lay behind it.

Just as the man got to the door, JJ stumbled upwards, and stood up wobbly.

"You're going to hell." She said, barely louder than a whisper.

He stood for a good thirty seconds without moving, Reid making no attempt of escaping. Hubbell was studying JJ, his eyes roaming all over her. Morgan wanted to rip his throat out, seeing him look at her that way. Finally he spoke.

"If I'm going to hell, then you'll surely rot there as well." Mark said, and Morgan raised his eyebrows, unsure of what he meant. Thankfully he explained a second later.

"I may do some things that aren't exactly in God's good books, but then again, you're the ones standing still and allowing Spencer to get hurt... I thought you were a family?"

Morgan's heart crumbled then. He was right. He was one hundred percent right! He was standing here while Reid was being escorted out of the room to be _tortured. _To be scarred for life. How much more did the kid need to go through? His life was already hell. He didn't need anything more on top of it! _And here I am, doing nothing to stop it. _

But he couldn't make his feet move. What if the unsub shot Reid? What if moving got him killed? He couldn't die. No... he just couldn't.

"It'll be okay Reid." Emily stuttered out as the man and the younger agent disappeared behind the wooden door, and it shut forcefully. Morgan heard the lock click shut, and for a second, remained standing still.

But eight seconds later, he had slid to the floor, tears trickling from his eyes.

XXX

Reid fought to remain composed as Hubbell turned a final corner and shoved him into the dark room. His knees collided with the wooden floor, and he grunted in pain. He fell to a sitting position and turned to look up at Hubbell who was looming over him with an evil smile on his face.

Spencer was scared. Terrified actually. He was about to be tortured and he was utterly alone. How did he know Hubbell wouldn't kill him the first chance he got? Well he figured he did know, seeing as though that wasn't the unsub's type, and he wouldn't stray from it. But what would the torture be? The bodies had ranged from stabbed, to branded, to burned to shot. What was he going to endure?

He didn't regret his decision though. Not at all. He felt proud, protecting his family. But it was so much more than just being proud. He wouldn't have been able to live with himself if he stood by and let JJ get hurt. Of course he didn't blame them for doing so, they had people to live for.

All of a sudden Mark Hubbell snapped in front of his face, and Reid was pulled from his thoughts. He tried to stay confident and strong, but found it difficult, as he noticed the tools on the walls.

"Spencer. Pay attention. I wanna see the pain in your eyes." Hubbell taunted, and Reid glared at him. He was going to make sure to look away, no matter what happened. This unsub was not getting what he wanted, regardless of what he did to him.

"No, you need to see it. That's the only way you can get off, and you know it. Mark you're a psychopath-" Reid stuttered out, but a sharp blow from Hubbell's fist stopped him from talking.

He fell to his side, jaw throbbing heatedly. His mind tried to figure out a way to lessen to torture he was to endure, but he was coming up with nothing. Whether he liked it or not, he was going to be in a world of pain very, very soon. That he couldn't control. What he could control, was his reaction to it.

Hubbell kicked him in the stomach, harder than the previous punch. He grunted in pain, as his thin gut seared. Another blow hit him square in his ribs, and he held back the immediate cry that threatened to escape his lips.

"Oh come on Spencer. I know it hurts."

He was kicked again, and hissed through his teeth. Hubbell wasn't going to get what he wanted. Tears were pricking at his eyes, but he blinked them away eagerly, not wanting the unsub to see any pain. The had shoe connected once again, and he rolled onto his stomach, trying to stop the pain. Reid struggled to catch his breath as the hurt pulsed through him.

"_Spencer..._"

Hubbell used his foot to roll Reid back over, so he was lying on his back, still panting from the kicks that had literally knocked the wind out of him. He glared at his attacker, as he walked over to the grey wall, running his hand menacingly over each of his different tools.

Reid fought to repress a shudder as he grabbed a serrated knife.

XXX

Emily paced the room once again, ignoring JJ's glares. She knew she shouldn't be up and about with a concussion but she didn't give a shit. She was waiting for Reid. What was happening to him? What pain was he going through?

The guilt was the worst. She didn't even bother to wipe away the tears. She'd just sat there and done nothing. Why? Why the hell hadn't she done something? Offered up herself, or at least try to stop it? Reid was probably in agony, and she was here, perfectly safe and okay. What was wrong with her?

"Emily, you need to sit down." Hotch said stiffly, and she looked to see him staring at the door, just like he had been for the last 20 minutes. His brave facade was cracking, and she could see it.

Emily didn't reply, only kept pacing, occasionally looking at her watch, the door, and the rest of the team. Really she wasn't processing anything. She'd just checked her watch what... a minute ago? And she didn't remember the time it said. Or maybe it was five minutes ago...or ten...

"Emily..." JJ started, and she sighed with annoyance. "you should-"

"Save it." She interrupted, and gave her a glare that told her to shut up. She didn't care anymore. She didn't give a damn. Anything that could happen to her by standing, was not nearly as bad as what Reid was no doubt going through.

All of a sudden her heart stopped, as she heard the worst sound she'd possibly ever heard. Reid's scream. Her head whipped towards the door, as did everyone elses. She physically felt the pain in his escaped cry, and her hand gripped her neck as she struggled to breathe.

The gasp that escaped her throat had no doubt been shared with the other occupants of the small library. She turned to look at JJ, both women's eyes wide and teary.

"We let this happen." Morgan said angrily, but the guilt in his voice was worse than anything else. But nobody denied his words. Because they were true.

Another cry reached her ears and she covered her mouth with her hands, preventing a sob.

XXX

Reid still refused to look Hubbell in the eyes. He was beginning to feel faint, as the pain consumed him. He couldn't hold back his gasps anymore. Mark grinned as he cut along Reid's arm, pressing harder occasionally.

The stab wound in his shoulder was bleeding incessantly, and the pain that pulsed from it burned like a never ending fire.

But he continued to remind himself that he was protecting the team, and he was doing the right thing. It would be okay. Eventually.

**I know it's late guys, I'M SORRY :( Review though?**


	6. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer: I only own my imagination!_

**No Such Thing.**

JJ was shaking. Her whole body was trembling with fear. What was happening to Spencer? What was that sick bastard doing to him? All the crime scene photos were flashing by in her memory, each one making her cringe more and more. This unsub was dangerous, and obviously intelligent.

How were they going to get out of here? They could all jump him, yes. But what about Reid? What condition was he in? Could he even walk? How could they jump the man, if he had Reid with him? There was really nothing they could do, at least not until they knew how he was.

She rocked back and forth on the floor, feeling slightly like a crazy person. But the only thing holding her onto reality was the constant motion, reminding her that this was all very, very real. Her legs were pulled into her chest, her hand pressed firmly to her mouth, preventing anyone from hearing the whimpers that escaped her throat. She no longer tried to stop them, or the tears that flooded her cheeks.

JJ couldn't shake the feeling that this was their fault. Okay, it wasn't just a feeling, it was a fact. Spencer had offered himself up, and they'd done nothing. He didn't deserve any of what he was going to get. None of them did really, including herself, but she couldn't bear to know he was getting hurt. Why hadn't shy just gone with Hubbell without struggle, just as Reid had? Truth be told, all that had been going through her head at that time was Henry and Will. They were everything to her. And as much as she didn't want to get hurt for their sake, if it meant saving anyone on the team, she would. So why had she froze up?

She heard footsteps and snapped out of her thoughts, straightening up instantly. Out of her peripheral vision she saw the rest of the team do the same. Her throat threatened to choke her as it constricted in fear. What would Spencer look like? Or would he be coming back at all? Yes. He would be, Mark wouldn't kill him yet. He wanted them to last.

The door lock clicked, and she was standing in seconds. So was the rest of the team, all frozen in time, afraid to move, but uncomfortable staying still. It creaked open, revealing Hubbell and Reid.

And JJ cried. Everything hurt and she could barely see for her tears. She knew that was exactly what Hubbell wanted, but she didn't care anymore. She just didn't.

Reid was wobbling on his legs, obviously trying to put on a strong face. But there were two stab wounds in his shoulder, another on his arm and where his sleeve was rolled up she could see dozens of slices. Her sob was heard by everyone, but they were all just as close to hysteria. Hotch and Rossi didn't show it of course, but Morgan, Emily and her all visibly broke down.

"I brought you back your Spencer." Hubbell said with a grin. "He's broken, but he'll be fine."

They all glared at him, but were distracted as he shoved Reid forwards, causing him to wince in pain, and stumble. JJ stepped forwards, but Morgan got there first. He took Reid's better arm and slung it over his shoulder, almost fully supporting his weight. Still nobody said anything.

"I'll be back later. Make yourself at home." Mark said with a smirk, and pulled the wooden door shut behind him.

Emily spoke first.

"Reid? Are you okay? I'm so sorry, I... I.." She trailed off, apparently not being able to find the right words. Reid grunted as he tried to walk, but was unable to.

JJ grabbed his hip, careful to avoid anywhere that looked like it hurt him, and hooked her arm around his waist. She and Morgan both helped him stumble to the couch, and laid him on his back gently, Reid not making any attempt to protest. JJ's tears were falling onto him, and instead of speaking, he looked at her in confusion. She knew that look. He thought this was nobody's fault but his own. But he was wrong.

"Spence... Spencer...are you okay?" She stuttered out, and kneeled beside the couch, ignoring the pain it caused her already bruised knees. That was nothing compared to him.

"Okay?" Morgan interrupted and gave her a fierce look. "Of course he's not okay! Look at him."

He was right. She was asking stupid questions. But her brain wasn't working because the pain in Reid's eyes was heart breaking and she felt as though she couldn't breathe.

"Guys." Reid muttered, and all eyes turned to him, everyone silenced by his small voice. He didn't have the usual professional tone to his voice. In fact, it was completely gone, leaving him sounding somewhat childish and weak.

"Reid, how do you feel?" Hotch asked him, and the younger man winced as his boss touched his arm lightly.

"I've been better." He said, but it seemed forced, and she saw the agony in his eyes as he fought to remain calm during Hotch's careful prodding. She knew he was only trying to help, but it must really be hurting Spencer.

"Covering up the pain won't help you." Rossi told him firmly, but there was an undertone of caring that warmed JJ's heart slightly. She wasn't used to seeing him so kind.

Reid shook his head, but when he looked at their faces, he gave in. "Fine. It hurts like hell."

"I'm so sorry Reid. We should have stopped you, we-"

"Give it a rest, would you? I'm fine. Blaming yourselves isn't getting us anywhere. It was my choice. I chose to do it, and I would again. Hell I probably will again." He told them. It was forced and pained, but he was firm with each word.

"No you aren't. I'm not letting you." Morgan burst out, shaking his head.

"Wouldn't you rather have one person die than several?" Reid contradicted, and JJ felt her heart stop. Wait... what! Die? What the _hell _was Reid even saying?

"Nobody's dying. Somebody will realize we're gone eventually." Hotch said, settling the panic that stemmed from Spencer's words.

JJ tried to remain calm. He was right after all, they'd get through this, just like they'd gotten through everything before. It would be okay.

"Until then, we wait."

XXX

Garcia tapped her bright blue nails on the local police department desk, looking at the time on her computer for the sixth time. It had been three hours, and she wasn't _worried _per say, but the team hadn't left her mind for a second. Where were they? They should have been back an hour ago.

She'd tried their phones, but of course they had no service. The GPS trackers said they were at the house, so she knew they'd made it there. So what was taking so long? The cops had gone with them as far as she knew, that was protocol of course. And they never broke protocol. Okay, okay, that was the biggest lie she'd ever tried to sell herself.

But Morgan was there, and Hotch , and Emily. They were all fighters. Actually, the entire team was incredibly strong. They were fine. Totally fine... And somehow even as she tried to tell herself that, discomfort poked at her insides.

Garcia looked at the clock again, wondering what was taking so long. Maybe they found some secret passage that lead to more bodies. Or some secret code that Reid was in the process of cracking. Or they could have just decided to look further in the house, and find missing information, right? Yeah. That was it, they'd be fine. Until then though, the queen of all things technical would have to wait around the police station, bored out of her mind.

She began clicking her sparkly, pink heels on the ground, wondering what to do until they returned. But she didn't have to think hard, because her phone began to ring on the wooden surface. She flicked it open and saw Rossi's number on the screen. She looked confusedly at her GPS tracker on the laptop, noticing that Rossi's cell was farther away from the others...he must have found a small corner of service in the house.

She opened the text message, and skimmed her eyes over it thoughtfully.

_Garcia- we need you to look into this guy's life. His computer system is huge, please come down to the house ASAP._

Now, it was odd for Rossi to message Penelope at all, let alone for something like this. Normally it would be Morgan texting her. Maybe he was just busy. Oh well, she would have to add a few miles onto her car. At least she was saved from her boredom.

Quickly she stood up and snapped her laptop shut, stuffing it in her blue bag. Then she grabbed her connector cord and walked out the door.

...

She pulled into the driveway slowly, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. There were no cops in the driveway, and the lights in the huge house were dark. Maybe they already arrested the guy? Yeah, that had to be it. The team's cars were here, so that was a good sign. The power could be out... Or maybe they just wanted to keep the house dark?

Despite her thoughts against it, Penelope opened the door and stepped into the night air. It was almost 2 am, but her sleeping schedule was screwed up as it was, and she felt no fatigue at all. Her heels clicked on the pavement as she grabbed her computer bag, various cords and wireless routers.

She walked warily up the drive way, trying to shake the feeling she was being watched. She had the same feeling every time she was even remotely near a suspect or unsub. They scared the crap out of her really. She tried to see the good in people, but it was a hard thing to do in her line of work.

Once she got to the looming door she flicked open her cell. No service, of course. She groaned...this was going to be fun.

Garcia knocked on the door firmly, listening as it echoed ominously outside. Truth be told it gave her the heebie-jeebies, and she was fighting to remain calm.

_Penelope! Relax. The team is inside. You're being an idiot! Think of how you would act if Kevin was here! You would not be freaking out, you'd stay calm! So pretend he's here, and stay calm! _She told herself, eager to get inside to safety. Darkness scared her out of her wits.

Still, nobody answered the door. Okay, that was weird. Really weird.

And then it hit her. Shit! Rossi so did not text her! What if it was the unsub! Oh god, was the team okay? Morgan? Reid, JJ, Emily? Hotch and Rossi? They had to be okay, they couldn't be dead, or hurt...they...they had to be okay.

Garcia heard a snap behind her and spun around, already trembling with fear. _No...no, no, no!_ She was NOT dying here. Nobody was dying here.

And so she ran. Which was tough in her heels, as she tripped over pebbles and cracks. She almost made it back to her car when something sharp was put to her neck. She froze up instantly, tears staining her cheeks.

"Now come on Garcia... No need to leave so soon..." A thick voice whispered into her ear, and she shuddered involuntarily. She remembered what Hotch said about this unsub though, and so she tried to hide her icy fear.

"Leave me alone." She pleaded, but instead he whirled her around, pressing her up against the cold car behind her. Her head hit the glass hard and the knife nicked her neck sharply.

Slightly disoriented, she looked him in his hard blue eyes, trying to seem stronger than she was. On the inside she was falling apart. This was way worse than being shot, because this was happening now, and this was not ending well. She was scared. Terrified. The man's breath was hitting her neck, and even though only a few seconds had passed, she felt as though it had been days.

"Penelope. Come and stay. You wouldn't want Morgan to get hurt, would you?" He taunted, and her throat squeezed up.

This was bad...really bad.

**Sorry this took so long guys! Writers block strikes again! What's Hubbell gonna do with Garcia? EEK! Review!**


	7. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer: I only own my imagination!_

**No Such Thing.**

Reid tried to steady his breathing, but it was still deep and pained. His ribs ached with every inhale, and he figured they were bruised at the very least. His arm was absolutely on fire, and he tried his best not to let is show. The fiery heat that travelled from stab wound to stab wound was almost electric, and very much agonizing. And the slices that covered his pale skin stung, but it was nothing compared to everything else.

That being said, he found it somewhat easy to distract himself from the pain, by putting his mind to work. He'd always been good at that. So he forced his mind to wander through the case details, crime scene photos and features of the house, trying to find anything useful at all.

This man got off on pain, meaning he was a sexual sadist, and a dangerous one at that. The house contained small bits of organization among the chaos, meaning he possibly had moments of clarity between killings. Or maybe he had a specific OCD that came as a twisted release of guilt, like he was making up for his sins. No, that couldn't be it though, because he was a narcissist, so he didn't recognise anything he did as a sin. He saw himself as a sort of god, one who chose which people lived and which died.

Nothing was meeting up, and Spencer could only think of one reason why. He was missing something. Something huge. They'd never been able to figure out what the stressor was, they hadn't needed to; Hubbell had made a mistake and left DNA at the last scene. But obviously, it hadn't actually been a mistake, it was a lure. He'd kidnapped Holly Irvine to get them here. Wait... Holly. They'd forgotten about Holly.

"Guys." He said all of a sudden, moving to sit up, but falling back instantly as sharp pain flashed through his nerves. He gasped involuntarily as in pulsed through him.

JJ gripped his hand tightly, her face flashing white. She still hadn't moved from beside his place on the couch, one hand always resting on a part of him, whether it be his chest, hand or leg. Emily was sitting on the far arm of the couch, a hand resting on his ankle. He really hated this. He hated being treated like a victim. He wasn't one.

Rossi was still on the red chair, head in his hands. Hotch hadn't stopped pacing, which fit his personality perfectly. And of course Morgan had his head leaning against the couch, refusing to be farther than two feet away from him. Truth be told, Spencer wasn't surprised, Morgan never seemed to understand that he could take care of himself.

"Spence, Lie down." JJ said worriedly, and gently pushed his hand downwards. He gave her a look, but the ice in her eyes made him obey her.

"What's wrong, man?" Morgan asked as he turned around, guilt still clear in his eyes. Why did everyone believe this was their fault? He made the choice himself.

"Why did we come here?" He asked, although it was more of a statement. He winced as he felt JJ hold his wrist even tighter.

"He's a serial killer Reid." Morgan told him, his eyebrows furrowing. Spencer sighed. Of course they wouldn't get it.

"No, no I mean... I mean, why didn't we wait to get cops here? Why did we rush in?" He further asked, stuttering and watching with a slight relief as Hotch figured it out.

"We wanted to save Holly." He said and Emily groaned.

"Oh my god, we forgot entirely about her." She said, and brought a hand to her forehead. Reid found himself wondering if she blamed herself for this as well, and he almost wanted to yell at her. Of course he wouldn't, never, but... he just wanted her to stop feeling so damn guilty.

"Do you think she's alive?" JJ asked, and all the profilers were silent. JJ wouldn't understand of course, that with them here, Holly was disposable.

"No. Probably not. She was a lure to get us here, once he had us she became disposable." Rossi explained, still holding his head. The blood had long since stopped, but obviously the pain hadn't done so. He had been extremely quiet for the last hour, and Reid couldn't figure out why.

"So we got Reid stabbed and Holly killed." Said accusingly, but it seemed the words were pointed more at herself than anyone else.

"For the last time, you didn't get me stab-" Spencer started, but was cut off by an agitated Derek Morgan.

"Would you stop? Yes we did. And yeah, we got Holly killed. Let's stop avoiding the truth. This is our fault. If we'd figured Hubbell out, this would not have happened." He ranted, throwing his arms in the air.

Reid wanted to offer him some form of condolence, but found himself unable to ignore the truth in his words. They _had _done this. Reid was normally the one who figured things out, so why hadn't he this time? Was he off his game? The guilt hit him hard, causing him to look at his fidgeting hands. Another person had died because of him. Sometimes he wondered that if they'd had cases like this back when he was still 100% dork, he would have saved everyone. But now he had so much more on his mind than the cases they worked, he couldn't focus solely on them.

"Stop blaming yourself Reid." Emily said, profiling him in an instant. Sometimes he really hated working with them every day.

He shot her a look, but remembered he had said the same thing to her a few hours ago.

"Let's just focus on getting out of here." Hotch said, and he finally stopped pacing.

_But could they?_

XXX

Penelope gasped as the psycho sliced her arm with the knife, and she felt blood slip out of the cut. That was the second slice he'd given her, and he didn't look like he wanted to stop anytime soon.

"Please! Please, don't! I'll do whatever you want." She pleaded through her scared tears, but the unsub just smiled crazily.

"Whatever I want huh? What I want, you can't give me by yourself." He told her, which only added to her fear and confusion.

"What?" She stuttered out, and more tears escaped her eyelashes.

He took the knife and traced her jaw bone, as he straddled her shaking body, and she tried to stay still. The moist ground outside was hard on her skin, but it didn't really matter. She was in for a world of pain and she knew it. He nicked her chin and she whimpered, unable to withhold her fear.

"Please!" She begged, despite the fact that she knew he got off on fear. She was just so terrified. This was way worse than being shit, because this might not end. And this man was purely crazy.

She wished she was with Morgan. She wished they were back at her apartment, or his, and they were cuddled up on the couch watching a movie. She wished they were having a popcorn fight, and laughing during a comedy. Or maybe back at the office, having IM conversations from across the room. Or maybe, just maybe, out walking down the beach at sunset like they did every once in a while. She just wished she could be with him.

"Just... please! Please don't!" She begged once more, losing hope by the second.

"Oh come on Penelope. The fun is just beginning." He leered, and trailed the knife along her neck, down towards her chest.

Oh no. God no. This couldn't be happening. A sob escaped her lips and she cried like she hadn't cried in years. Hubbell grinned at her and undid the first button on her flower patterned dress.

Terror pooled in her gut, as her mascara stained her cheeks. This was her worst nightmare.

XXX

Morgan hit his head on the couch for what felt like the hundredth time. He just needed to feel something. He looked back at Reid every few minutes, each time receiving an even more annoyed glare. But he had to make sure the kid was okay. He felt as though he needed to protect him.

"We could jump him." Rossi suggested, and rubbed his forehead for the umpteenth time. Sure, they could do that. But what if he had a gun? Or a knife? One of them could die.

"We wouldn't know if he has a weapon. We can't risk that." Hotch said half-heartedly.

"Wait to see if he has one, and if not jump him?" Reid put forth, and Morgan shook his head.

"He'll have one. He will."

XXX

Garcia cried out as he brought the knife to her bare stomach, and he shoved his sweaty hand over her mouth. She sobbed against it, but he wouldn't move.

Gently, almost caringly (which only made it more disturbing) he brushed a stray hair away from her forehead, causing her to shudder.

"Relax. It'll make it easier." Mark Hubbell whispered, and her eyes clouded as tears spilled over.

The knife pressed against her skin, and she gasped. She felt warm blood flow out as the fiery pain pulsed through her skin.

She looked briefly into her attacker's eyes, and instantly regretted it. They were dark and cold, but filled with amusement. He was enjoying every moment of this.

XXX

"Then what are we going to do?" Prentiss asked coldly. Nobody answered her. Because nobody had any idea what they were going to do.

"We need to outsmart him." JJ said, not understanding that they couldn't do that.

"We never finished the profile. We can't phase him without knowing his stressor." Reid explained, and Morgan noticed that his voice was still pained. He wished he had just stopped him.

"Then let's figure it out."

...

An hour later, they still hadn't come up with anything. It seemed like an impossible task. This unsub was more twisted than a loose screw. And he had a few of those in his brain. His stressor seemed out of reach, hiding somewhere between what they knew and his missing childhood. He was an unsolvable case, and though nobody admitted it, they'd all come to the same conclusion.

Suddenly, they heard footsteps. Morgan was on his feet in an instant, as were the rest of them. Reid attempted to move, but he gently shoved him back, ignoring the fierce look he received.

The door jiggled as the locks on the outside undid, and Morgan tensed, ready to do anything to get out of here.

That was, until the door opened and his heart shattered like a broken mirror. His world literally fell apart before his eyes.

Hubbell stood with a grin on face, a knife pressed firmly to a very terrified Penelope Garcia in his arms. Morgan felt the anger inside him bubble, and Hotch angled himself knowingly, ready to block him if necessary.

"Penelope..." Was all he could manage. Slices and cuts decorated her arms and chin, and a gash bled from her neck. Her eyes were puffy and filled with an agony he had never seen before. He wanted to fall to his knees. Garcia was his god given solace. This couldn't be happening.

Without a word, Hubbell shoved her forwards, and left the room with a smirk, locking the doors behind him. Within seconds, Derek ran across the room and pulled her into his arms.

She sobbed into his chest, and he wished he could slice Mark Hubbell into a million little pieces.

"What are you doing here?" JJ asked, and put a hand on Penelope's shaking arm.

"More importantly, what did he do to you Baby Girl?" Morgan asked, pulling back, and she looked away from him to look at the floor.

**So? I know it was oddly written and slightly shorter, but let me know please! Xxxx Review!**


	8. Chapter 8

_Disclaimer: I only own my imagination!_

**No Such Thing.**

"What did he do to you?" Reid asked again, and Emily just looked in horror. This couldn't be happening.

Remembering that some people she cared about were safe was the only thing keeping her sane. And now she worried she would lose it, because Penelope was in no way okay. Her sniffles echoed in the room and nobody moved.

"Nothing. Nothing I'm... I'm fine." Garcia said softly, and tried to walk towards them, but Morgan held her tightly and wouldn't allow it.

"You're not fine." Emily said simply, and yet her words brought tears to almost everyone's eyes. Why was this happening? And why them? How had Garcia even gotten here?

"Yes. Yes I am." She told them, but her eyes seemed to be flashing through painful memories.

"Garcia... there's blood on your stomach." Hotch pointed out, and Emily found her eyes fixating on the red blotch. It looked painful, and there was something off about it, although she didn't know exactly what.

"There's blood on Reid's shoulder." She said shakily, redirecting the conversation. Emily had to admit it was true.

"But there's no cut on your dress." Reid said in a small voice, seeming like he didn't want to admit the truth. "The only way you could have gotten stabbed is if-"

"I said I'm fine!" She interrupted, but it wasn't quick enough. Everyone came to the same realisation. Her dress had been off.

Emily felt sick to her stomach, and put a hand to her gut instinctively. No. No, no, no. Garcia was so innocent and pure. How could someone do that? Mark Hubbell had just broken the one person on this team who was actually anywhere remotely near stable. He'd just ruined everything.

"I'm going to kill him. I'm going to rip his throat out!" Morgan yelled, and though they'd all been expecting it, everyone jumped.

"Penelope... oh my god." JJ said and pulled the woman into her arms, the mother inside her taking over. Emily stopped leaning on the couch and put a hand on Garcia's shoulder, her lips pressed into a firm, angry line. She was just so mad. She wanted to rip Hubbell to shreds.

"How did you even get here?" Rossi asked, getting down to business as usual. Prentiss always got annoyed when he did so, and this time was no different. In fact, she really wanted to throw something at him. Like her fist.

"I... I uh got a text. From your phone actually. Obviously it wasn't from you. God I'm so stupid! I'm so sorry... I... god!" Penelope stumbled over her words, trying to sit down on the arm of the couch. Instantly Reid moved his legs, wincing, but not crying out.

Garcia was still clutching her stomach in pain, but gave Reid a look, probably under the impression he was in more agony than her. Obviously not. She was probably too tired to argue, and so she just lowered herself into the seat with JJ and Emily's help.

"You're not stupid sugar." Morgan told her, immediately situating himself on the ground by her still trembling legs. "It's not your fault. He got us too."

"And we have guns on us. And FBI training. You can't be mad at yourself." Hotch told her gently, the most caring she'd seen him in a long, long time.

"But I am. And he just got me so fast. I couldn't even do anything as he... he..." She fell into a fit of tears, and Reid moved in synchronized movements with Morgan, moving to allow Derek full access to his best friend. He hugged her tightly to his chest and all the team could do was look on in terror and pain.

Prentiss looked at Hotch, and watched as he sensed her gaze and met her eyes. His were dark and agonized, his mouth unusually slack. Normally he had a good composure, but he seemed to be legitimately falling apart.

She looked to JJ, who met her eyes with little to no composure left. Her eyes spoke it all. The tears that slid out from them raced each other down her cheeks, leaving trails of watery mascara behind them. She brought a hand to her mouth, and Emily couldn't miss the fact that she was shaking uncontrollably.

Emily then looked to Rossi, who gave her a knowing look. This was all their worst nightmares combined. Because what they feared most, was each other getting hurt. David's face was crinkled with concern, his eyebrows furrowed at her look. She knew he was profiling her, but she didn't have anything left within her to care.

Then she looked at Reid, which brought new tears stemming to her eyes. Even though he was in a world of pain, he was bleeding down his arms and he no doubt wanted to cry at every moment, all his focus was on Penelope. He was such a selfless person, it made Emily want to hug him and never let go. He seemed to sense her watching and looked up. He looked so lost, like he had no idea what to do, or feel, or say. None of them did, really.

And finally she looked at Morgan and Garcia. He was hugging her in such a way as not to hurt her, but also tight enough that it brought both of them the comfort they craved. It was what they needed. Morgan looked up at her briefly, his eyes showing his emotions for her. He was filled to the brim with anger and agony, probably torn between comforting his 'god given solace', and pounding down the door to kill Hubbell. Garcia on the other hand, just buried her head in his chest, holding onto him with a shaky grip. Her sobs no longer escaped her, now just her tears fell from her face onto Derek's cotton shirt.

And Emily herself? She was being pulled in a million directions, completely unsure of how to react to any of this. On one hand, she wanted to stay with them and never leave. She wanted to hold Reid tightly, because everyone seemed to have forgotten him since Garcia had entered. She wanted to hug the rest of them and make sure they were okay, even when she knew better. On the other hand, she wanted to retreat into herself, like she often did. It seemed far comforting and easy to do so, and so she opted for that choice.

And yet it was almost painful to do so, because her insides were a mess. Her emotional strings were knotted and tangled, her memories and feelings all mixed and mingled. It made her uneasy to think of how utterly hopeless she felt, which barely ever happened. Not even when Reid had been kidnapped, or when they were held hostage, or even when Hotch had been stabbed, had she ever, even once given up hope. She was a changing person, and that scared her.

But even more than that, what terrified her was the fact that her family was hurt. And they were in for more of it if she didn't find a way out of this. _And that's when she made her decision._ If they couldn't find a way out of here before Hubbell came down from his high and wished to torture again, she'd volunteer before anyone else could. Nobody else was going through that pain when they didn't have to. She would be okay, right? Yes. But even if she wasn't, it was better than watching somebody else suffer.

And with that she slid to the ground beside the couch, gently grabbing Reid's still trembling hand. He looked at her in slight confusion, but she just smiled, hoping it came off as reassuring. He seemed to understand, and tried to smile back, but it seemed as though it pained him to do so.

That was it. Nobody else was getting hurt on her watch. It would be her and only her. Because that's what a family does right? Protect each other.

XXX

Hubbell watched the video monitors in delight as Garcia broke down in front of the team. They were falling apart, just how he liked it. Their bonds were growing stronger, yes. But they themselves were weakening. That was his favourite part.

But really, the murders up until now were just practice. He had some special things put aside for each of the FBI agents, and he was ready to use them whenever he needed. After all, he planned on this taking a long, long time.

Now that he'd gotten Penelope, their slim chances of escape had popped like a bubble. Yes, he would have them for quite some time before the police force caught on. And even when they did, how could they find him? This house was well hidden, his trail covered and his past murky. Nobody besides the BAU team knew he was the unsub.

And nobody would expect poor Mark Hubbell of the brutal torture and murder of 5 girls. He came off as a troubled, grieving man, who'd lost his only love. And that wasn't fully a lie... it was just a twisted truth. Because yes, he had lost his first true love. But he had been the one who killed her. He'd watched the light leave her eyes as he strangled her against the wall, felt as she slumped against him. He was smart enough to have worn gloves, and with the act he kept up, his name probably didn't even cross their minds.

He couldn't help but to have picked girls who looked a bit like Jenny. Not so much in the face, or figure, but in her eyes. Those beautiful green eyes that he loved so much, and yet hated all the same. He watched the same fear, agony and terror bubble within each girl's emerald orbs, and it brought him the biggest release he's ever experienced.

He loved each girl he'd taken. But they were nothing, _nothing _to him, when compared to the guests he had trapped in his study. They were his end game. The final chapter of his grand scheme. He wanted to watch them crumble, see as the tears filled their eyes and look on as they fell apart with guilt. He could see it beginning now, as from the outside, they seemed to be comforting each other. But if you looked closer, you would see that the only two doing so were Morgan and Garcia. He'd expected that though, that's actually the reason he's brought her here. They were going to shatter when the other got hurt, and he would enjoy every last second of it.

He thought of himself as a leader to the people done wrong by this very team. They left the families in a sea of grief, pain and guilt, and just got on with their own petty lives. Every time they shot an 'unsub', every time they got an innocent person killed, they seemed to forget that that person had a family. That that person had people who loved them more than anything, more than themselves, and would have done anything to help save them.

Had he specifically felt this feeling? No. Had he specifically been done wrong by the team? Not really. But why did it matter? He could take away their lives just as fast as he'd done to Jenny, Maria, Laura, Madison, Kate, Sarah, and now of course, Holly. He was the ruler of this game. He made the choices.

He decided who died. In the end, it would be all of them, but for now, he liked to watch and see as they fell apart.

Suddenly he realized he might as well enjoy this to the fullest, while he still had the chance. He wasn't being greedy, just living life the best he could.

He rushed down the hall as quick as he could, careful not to knock anything over. He made it to the study door fairly quickly, and instead of making noise, he moved incredibly slow and undid the lock silently.

Then he pulled the door open with a bang, causing everyone inside to flinch. He watched with pleasure as they moved backwards, and fell into easily predictable positions. Morgan hugged Garcia tighter, and she began to shake again as she saw his face. He smirked at her. Emily added a second hand to Reid's good arm, gripping him protectively. JJ fell back to behind the couch, so she could be between Reid and Garcia, obviously feeling motherly. Hotch stood in front of Rossi, both of them standing tall and firm. Maybe he'd have to break them first.

"Listen closely." He said in a loud voice, and Garcia cringed. "You have about 30 seconds to pick one of you to come with me."

The team members exchanged looks with fear in their eyes.

"Why let us choose?" Rossi questioned, and Mark fought to keep composure as annoyance bubbled inside him.

"Well you're all going to get a turn in the end, I might as well see where your loyalties lie." He said with an eyebrow raise and a malicious smile.

Eagerness filled his stomach, in anticipation of what was next.

**So? A look inside the psycho's head? Lemme know what you think, xxx**


	9. Chapter 9

_Disclaimer: I only own my imagination!_

**No Such Thing.**

"Me." Emily said immediately, and tried to ignore the looks on her friend's faces. "Take me."

"No Prentiss." Hotch said firmly, and she shot him a fierce look, hoping he'd give up. No such luck.

"Nobody else in here deserves to get hurt!" She argued, and everyone tried to talk at once, but stopped when they heard Garcia's shaky voice.

"Neither do you Em." She almost whispered, and Prentiss avoided her eyes quickly.

"Just... Just take me." She said to Hubbell, and he smirked maniacally. It scared the shit out of her, but she wouldn't let him see it.

"Sounds good." He said with an evil chuckle.

"No, god Prentiss stop, he can have me!" Morgan said, but she saw it in his eyes. He really didn't want her to let him go. He wanted to hold Penelope and never let go, and Emily understood that. She just shook her head, and stepped forwards on numbed legs.

"Emily, you can't." JJ said from beside her, and her tone of voice stung at her heart. She quickly enveloped the blonde woman in a hug, holding on because she needed to.

It brought her comfort. And she needed that, to help keep her from falling apart. Fear was bubbling in her stomach as she imagined all the things Hubbell would do to her. It made her want to break down and do exactly as the team was saying and stop. But then she thought about her beautiful friends, all the things they'd gone through and all the pain that still tortured them and... She just had to be strong for them. She was tough.

"Come on, I don't have all day." Hubbell taunted, and she broke apart from her tight hug, trying to ignore the tears and pleading in JJ's eyes.

"Emily...please don't." Spencer begged from the couch, but she just shook her head. The hurt in his eyes bit at her heart, threatening to eat her whole.

She walked to stand beside Hubbell, and fought to repress a shudder as his rough hand grabbed her thin arm.

"I'll be fine." She lied, and Mark suppressed a laugh.

"No, I promise, you won't" He said in a simple tone.

And she was sure he was right. Spencer had been with him, what? An hour? Less? And he still cringed as he stared at a wall, memories probably consuming him. And who knew what he'd done to Garcia, but it seemed as though she was in shock, and she was barely moving.

So Emily Prentiss would NOT be fine. But she would sure as hell act like it for everyone else's sake.

Nobody said anything as he led her out of the room. The last thing she saw was JJ collapse onto the couch with a sob, and Hotch put an arm around her shoulder. She probably didn't feel it.

Hell, Emily couldn't even feel her own two feet as she stumbled to keep up with Hubbell, who had put the gun to her shoulder, and was pulling her down the dim hallway.

The crime scene pictures flashed before her eyes and her stomach began to roll with fear. Hubbell was capable of a lot of things, and absolutely no guilt, which made this harder to imagine. She was in for a world of pain. And boy did her body know it, as she tensed up and became stiff as he pushed her into a grey room.

There was blood on the floor, and when she realized it was Reid's, her stomach almost heaved. Seeing the red liquid pooled on the floor physically pained her, causing her to suck in a sudden breath.

He shoved her to her knees and she unwillingly called out, knowing they would soon have dark bruises from the impact. But that would be nothing compared to the pain she would surely endure.

Her breath increased as she stood back up, not willing to show him fear, but feeling a whole hell of a lot of it. She stumbled for a second, but regained her balance quickly.

"Ah. You're a fighter. All the more fun for me." Hubbell taunted, stepped forwards and chuckled.

But Prentiss had other ideas, and swiftly aimed a punch at his jaw. He cried out as her fist collided, but didn't move. Actually, the attempt to fight him probably hurt her more, and she held her pulsing fist.

"Nice try. I don't get hurt easy." He said with a smirk. It must have been true, because normally Emily had a high pain tolerance, but his face had been as hard as rock. Her mind raced to find an explanation as to why, but came up short.

"Apparently." She muttered, and when he came at her again, she tried to duck out of the way. She almost did it, but felt a sharp punch to her side send her tumbling.

Even then, she attempted to scramble away. She wasn't sure why she was resisting anymore, as torture was inevitable. Maybe because she wanted to seem less afraid than she was.

But her attempt failed as he grabbed her disoriented body and pulled her backwards clattering to the floor. She cried out as she felt her ankle twist, possibly breaking it in two. It was most likely just a sprain, but god did it hurt.

Suddenly she realized she was pinned to the floor beneath Hubbell, and she sighed in defeat. She didn't have the option of escaping, he needed torture now; it was his fix. And if he didn't get it from her, he would go back in there and get it from someone else. And Emily Prentiss was not letting that happen.

So she let out a defeated breath, and Hubbell leered at her. Slowly, with his free hand, he reached behind him and seemingly unhooked something from his belt. He held the rectangle in front of her face, and suddenly, with a shock, she realized what it was.

A taser.

Her breath hitched in her throat.

XXX

Hotch was finding it harder and harder to breathe. Every pained flinch of the team, every high pitched cry from wherever the hell Emily was...every time he thought of Jack. Everything was upside down, along with his stomach. The nausea he'd been feeling was possibly the worst in his life, but it just wouldn't go away. Probably because the fear that gripped him tight wouldn't release him from its grip.

Scanning the faces of his team, the hold on him only got tighter.

JJ was crying, that they'd all expected. She cared far too much to remain stable during something as serious as this. Her cheeks were stained red with tears, and her shaking shoulders were melted into Hotch's hold, which he hadn't removed nor did he plan to.

Rossi... Well he was being Rossi. The pain showed on his face, but he hadn't said a word, made a noise, or moved an inch. His eyes were glued to the wall in front of him, firmly fixed to the lamp hanging precariously from a socket. Hotch knew he wasn't really looking at it though.

Morgan was holding Garcia tighter than Hotch would have previously thought possible. It seemed to bring him comfort as well, knowing she was safe in his arms, and nothing horrible could happen to her. His face was creased with worry, and every time a cry echoed through the old house, he shut his dark eyes and physically grimaced.

Garcia... Well she was as you would expect her to be. Scared, trembling, horrified, but trying to stay tough for the rest of them. She was never in situations like this, and it was probably petrifying her more by the second. Her tears had washed away her make-up long ago, and her hair was frizzy from having her head buried in Morgan's chest.

And then there was Spencer. If he wasn't holding JJ, Hotch would be holding him, not that Reid would seek any comfort from it. The man looked so guilty he could fall apart any second now. His hair was messy from his shaky hands running through it, a nervous habit, and his eyes were flickering around the room constantly. The fact that his brain worked so fast was what scared Aaron the most, because he couldn't get a handle on how much pain Reid was going through.

Garcia was still refusing their attempts to see her stomach wound, her convincing them it wasn't as bad as it seemed. And of course, Reid wouldn't let them fuss over him. And yet they still did, because they'd seen him hurt far too many times. Danger magnet was the only thing that described him best other than certifiable genius. And with the amount of blood coming from the wound in his shoulder, nobody could ignore it any longer.

Hotch was about to say something when another high pitched scream echoed through the mansion. The agony in the cry was enough to bring tears to his eyes, and make him shake like JJ. But now she was fully trembling, burying her face in his already tear stained shirt. Everyone made some sort of pained noise, whether it was a sigh, groan or whimper.

Suddenly Garcia gasped and her hand flew to her stomach, right beside the large red stain.

"Garcia? What's wrong?" He asked immediately, wanting to cross the room, but JJ was in his way.

"Baby Girl?" Morgan asked worriedly, and leaned back to look at where she was holding. It was directly where the stain was.

She was breathing heavily, in a permanent flinch, staring at the floor. Her face was pained, to the extent where she looked as though she might cry out, but didn't. Hotch began to get extremely worried, and detached himself from JJ.

"Penelope!" JJ said, and crossed the room to kneel in front of the woman. Hotch followed, as did Rossi. They were all beside her now, scared out of their minds.

"I'm fine." Garcia stuttered out.

"No you're not, what's hurting you?" Reid asked, trying to sit up, but cringing in pain.

"Reid sit down." Rossi said quietly.

"Don't tell me what to do." Reid snapped, and the team froze in silence for a brief moment, and Hotch saw shock flash in Morgan's eyes.

"What hurts Garcia?" He asked again, managing to sit himself up. Hotch wished to force him back down, but respected his boundaries.

"Uh..." She stuttered, and flinched. "My stomach."

"By your stab wound?" Morgan asked, and she shot him a look.

"It's not a stab wound it-" She argued, but was interrupted.

"Don't argue Baby Girl, just answer." Derek said, and she sighed.

Everyone waited in silence for a few seconds, but it seemed like hours.

"Yeah. It's right there. I... I think some of the fabric off my dress is-" She gasped a little as she felt it, "is stuck in it."

Hotch sighed. This was not good. He'd known since he saw the stain that something like this would happen. If the cut got infected they were going to be in a load of trouble, seeing as though they might not be getting out... _no. Stop thinking like that._

"Penelope... someone needs to help you put some sort of cloth on it so it won't get infected." Reid stated, and Garcia avoided eye contact, just like they'd all expected her too.

Come on. JJ can help you, and we won't look. But we need to make sure you're okay." Morgan told her.

She shook her head. "Uh... no I... I want you to." She said, and they stared. "I want you to."

XXX

Emily screamed unwillingly as Hubbell jabbed the taser into her side, forcing her body into convulsions. The pain shot through her veins like a million stabbing knives, making her want to give up, and give in to the unconsciousness that taunted her.

But for some reason, the only thing holding her to reality, was a small glimmer of something. She wasn't sure what it was, just that it was a reason for living.

And she found it in the thought of Spencer Reid.

**Oooh? Okay, I know this one is boring, and I'm sorry for that! And I'm SOOOO sorry, it's been so long! Family problems suck :( Review! Xxx**


	10. Chapter 10

_Disclaimer: I only own my imagination!_

**No Such Thing.**

"Did I do something wrong?" JJ asked, and Spencer was quick to grab her hand and shake his head.

"No, JJ don't think that! She's been through a trauma, she's coping, and people coping fall into three categories."

She nodded, but her mind seemed to be elsewhere.

"They'll either retreat into themselves, accept comfort from everyone, or in her case, attach themselves to a certain person and _detach_ from everyone else." He further added, trying to shake her from her thoughts.

"It's very common, and very natural. It has nothing to do with you Jayje." He explained quickly, and for just a moment, forgot about the pain he was in, and got lost in his words.

"...Are you sure?" JJ asked him, squeezing his long hand.

He forced a small smile. "I am a genius."

She almost chuckled, and he managed a small smile. But then a high pitched yell reached their ears, and pain rippled through Reid. The amount of agony that laced the scream was astounding, and Reid scrunched his eyes shut to avoid crying.

"We need to get out of here. All of us." He said when the screaming stopped.

"I know, Spence. I know."

XXX

"I can get JJ you know." Morgan said quietly in the back of the library, ass Garcia fumbled with her buttons. She shook her head slowly.

"No. I trust you. I... I feel safer with you." She said, and the pain in her voice caused him to sigh, feeling some of it himself.

"Okay..."

She continued to fumble more, and he put his hands over hers, stopping her. She looked into his eyes out of confusion, but he just moved her hands. Then he undid the buttons smoothly himself, keeping eye contact in order to prevent any awkwardness.

He moved aside the sides of her floral dress in order to better see the cut. Accidentally, he pulled the part of fabric that had stuck itself to the sticky gash, and it pulled off, causing her to gasp. He felt the pain himself, electric guilt running through his body.

"I'm so sorry Baby Girl." He said, and she shook her head, despite the tears that slid out of her eyes.

"Band-Aid approach, right?" She said, trying to be the old her that everyone knew she had lost outside. He smiled, and so did she, but neither meant it.

He finally looked down, past her pink bra, to look at the nasty gash. It didn't seem extremely deep, which was a good thing. But the blood flow was still going, and the area around it looked sore and swollen. That was normal for any wound, but still, he worried for his girl.

"What the hell did he do to you?" He asked, although it was more of an angered statement. She avoided eye contact, and so he grabbed her chin gently and guided her to meet his gaze. "You can tell me, I won't say a thing."

"I'm not ready to talk about it. I will just... just not now, okay?" She said, and he nodded, and within himself, smiled. At least she'd talk eventually.

"Thank you. Now let's get our goddess back to being healthy, smiling, and pain free, huh?" He said, trying to bring some optimism to the mood.

It didn't work.

XXX

Emily was passing out. She knew that, but she almost welcomed it. The electricity still pulsed through her body, and she cursed at herself for not fighting back harder. Just so she felt better about herself.

She wasn't sure why, but every time she almost gave up, thinking of Reid kept her going. Why? She wasn't sure, although her best guess is because if she died sure, the whole team would be devastated, but they'd move on. He on the other hand, would probably never recover. He was broken and lost, so she had to be strong for him.

Just look, he'd given himself to protect them. He'd gotten himself stabbed in order to keep them safe. He was so incredibly brave, that Emily felt weak when compared. Yes, he had his moments of cowardice, but since being taken by Hankel, he'd changed, and each year he got more courageous.

And she was proud of him. And she was sure he was proud of her. They'd been through a lot together, and all though she couldn't figure out why, his presence calmed her, soothed even. So at a time like this, just running through their conversations kept her afloat in consciousness.

The taser found her neck once again, and it buzzed, shocking her entire body. She couldn't help the yell that escaped her as the agony rippled through her body, making her want to die. The pain was indescribable, and her entire body jerked uncontrollably. After a moment the electric buzzing noise stopped, but it took her awhile to do the same.

"Don't fight it Emily. I know you're tired." Hubbell taunted, just giving her more reason to stay awake. The things he would do to her passed out...or not? He liked people's eyes open... She just didn't know, or care anymore.

"Go to hell." She forced out of her mouth, her fingers still shaking with electric shock. She opened her eyes and stared into Hubbell's, glaring with every ounce of remaining strength.

"You're no fun anymore. Poor Prentiss, all worn out." He said, and a small bit of hope fluttered in her heart. Maybe he was done?

She exhaled, but he seemed to sense her relief and smirked.

"Oh don't relax that quickly, you're not done yet." He taunted, and fear began to freeze over her stomach once more. She couldn't help it as her eyes widened.

"What more...can you possibly...do...when I'm going to...pass out?" She stuttered out, and he seemed to consider it.

"Well, there's always the easiest option..." He replied, moving his rough hands to the waist of her pants. She sucked in a breath.

"You won't." She spat at him.

"Wanna bet?" He asked, and smiled.

Then he moved to undo the button on her dark wash jeans, but on instinct, she jerked her leg upwards, successfully kneeing him in the groin. He rolled over in pain, a groan escaping his mouth. She managed to sit up, and push herself against a wall while he held his crotch in pain.

"I meant it when I said you won't." She said with a sudden laugh, unable to keep it in. So he wasn't as invincible as he seemed to be.

She wished she could stop him. Fully defeat him while he was down. But she just couldn't, she didn't have the energy. And she hated herself for that.

She really did.

XXX

JJ was slowly going out of her mind. The screams had long since stopped, but Emily had made no return. What if... what if... what if she wasn't coming back? Was that possible? Hubbell was a psychopath so she guessed it certainly was. Then again, she was no profiler.

Her hold on Spencer hadn't loosened, as she was still hugging him to her chest, his head resting on her arm. She wasn't sure if he was sleeping, but she hoped he was. He needed rest desperately.

She ran a hand over his hair, missing Henry. Maybe it was stupid to replace him with Spencer, but the motherly feelings wouldn't go away. She missed her little toddler. She wished she could run around his room with him, or feed him his favourite crackers. She was sure Will had put him to bed a while ago, and just assumed they'd taken longer on the case; it happened quite often after all.

She began to cry when she realized Henry may never see his mommy again. Will may never see his partner again. And when she thought about the fact that she might never hug or kiss either of them one last time, a sob formed in her throat.

"You'll see them again." Rossi said quietly as he sat down beside her, and she smiled ironically through her tears.

"I hate working with profilers." She told him, and ran a hand over Reid's now obviously sleeping head. She began to run it over his short hair, sort of missing the long style he used to have.

"Yeah. But we will get out of here." He insisted, and she nodded, ready to get far, far away.

"How?" She asked, and Hotch moved from across the room to sit on the floor with them.

"We need an advantage. We need a head start. We should jump him, over power him and then disarm him." He explained, but JJ had a feeling that wouldn't work.

"What if he holds onto Emily?" She questioned, and Spencer stirred against her.

They lowered their voices so as not to wake him.

"We wait till he puts her down. Eventually he will." Morgan said as he walked back towards them, holding Garcia's hand tightly. She seemed a little more optimistic than before.

"You okay Pen?" JJ asked, and the red head nodded, faking a small smile.

"Yep." She said simply, which although she didn't want to, JJ had to accept.

"So we'll jump him? Take him by surprise." Rossi asked, to which Hotch nodded firmly.

"That's not going to work." Came Reid's voice from below her head, and JJ looked down to see him rubbing his eyes open, a yawn escaping his mouth.

"Spence, go back to sleep," JJ began but stopped when he shot her a fierce look as he moved from her embrace. She missed the contact instantly.

"Why won't it work?" Morgan inquired, and Reid opened his mouth, a clear sign he was about to rant.

"He has video surveillance in here, along with audio. He can hear everything you just said."

_Oh shit_. JJ looked up to see that sure enough, 2 video cameras with speakers were partially hidden in corners. Why hadn't she seen that?

So he had been watching them. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as she realised he could be watching in on them right now. She immediately glared into the camera pointing at them, with an intensity in her eyes nobody could miss. Even so, she saw a few of them do the same thing.

"So much for surprising him." Garcia said in a pained voice. JJ wanted to stand, hug her and never let go, but really, she knew that wasn't a good idea.

"It makes sense. With his OCD and narcissism, he feels the need to watch over everything, and not miss a word we say." Hotch said, and even though JJ was no profiler, she could see that it made sense.

So what were they going to do?

XXX

Emily tried to stay awake as Hubbell almost carried her down the hallway, her legs useless from the repeated tasering.

As stupid as it sounded, she was proud of herself. Yes, everything hurt like hell, but she had protected her team. Her family. So she was at least partially at peace.

Her feet tried to find solid ground, but she was so worn out she could barely make them move, let alone step one in front of the other. She was sickened by the fact that the man who had just tortured and tried to rape her was carrying her, arms tight around her waist, dangerously close to her chest. But what could she do?

Her eyes would barely stay open, but she knew they were close to the library. Well she thought so... maybe they weren't even going there. She couldn't find the energy to care, she just wanted to pass out and wake up when this was over.

"You're not being helpful you know." Hubbell said with a grunt as he tried to drag her faster. She couldn't help but smirk.

"And whose fault...would that...be?" She muttered, barely distinguishable, but she was sure he heard it, as his grip tightened and his arms flexed. As much as she hated to admit it, he was in good shape, which just added to how intimidating he could be.

They had reached the door, which she knew because she heard him fumbling with the locks. He shoved her against the door, and she tried to use it as leverage, although that was difficult because she could barely keep her eyes open.

He finished with the locks, grabbed by the waist again and shoved the gun to her temple once more. She didn't really care, she could feel the blackness threatening to consume her again.

When he swung open the door, she tried her best to stay conscious for the team, but it was difficult. What she eyes did see was odd, distorted and blurry. Deep down she knew it was a matter of minutes before darkness took her, but she still attempted to fight it.

She noticed the gasps of everyone on the team, as her hearing was in no way affected. When she managed to actually see the scene, even though it was briefly, she saw JJ and Morgan stand up instantly, and Spencer was sitting up the best he could. Hotch looked like he hadn't even sat down since she'd been gone, however long ago that was.

"What did you do?" JJ basically yelled at Hubbell, who snickered, close to Prentiss's ear. She cringed away from it, and tried to open her eyes again. They were drooping shut, and she realized this would be the second time she lost consciousness in about one day. That couldn't be good for her health.

"Figure it out yourselves. She's a fighter, I'll give you that. And yet... no match for me." He taunted back, and suddenly Emily slumped to the floor, realizing a second too late he had let go of her.

She was blacking out now, and everything was staggered. She could hear the door close. Then hands were on her, and scared voices reached her ears.

The last thing she heard was a cry from Garcia, before she lost her last remaining consciousness.

**Like? How are they gonna get out? I think they have another plan... but maybe Hubbell does too. :) What about Emily? And Spence and Garcia? Review!**


	11. Chapter 11

_Disclaimer: I only own my imagination!_

**No Such Thing.**

Garcia began to shake with worry as Hotch and Morgan lifted Emily onto the couch, unconscious and exhausted looking. Everything was a blur as they checked her vitals, figuring she was fine. There was no blood showing, but she had a permanent pain filled expression. _Oh god... What had he done to her? Not that... Please not that._

Reid was still on the couch, but he moved and they rested her head on his chest, and he put his good arm protectively on her shoulder. She twitched in her sleep.

"Is she...okay?" She asked timidly, and Morgan turned to see her, obviously seeing how petrified she was. He enveloped her in a tight hug, and she melted into him, crying against his shirt.

"She should be okay." Reid explained, holding her hand tightly. "Her heart rate and breathing is normal, and I can feel her pulse on her wrist. That's a good sign."

"What the hell did he do to her?" Morgan asked loudly, and Hotch shook his head.

"I don't know but...she was screaming pretty loud." He said, pain visibly showing all over his face, the facade he tried to keep up was crumbling away, piece by piece.

"You don't think he..." JJ asked, but couldn't finish it. Garcia understood. She couldn't even think the words let alone say them.

"I doubt it, he prefers actual torture." Hotch said immediately. But Garcia couldn't calm her thoughts. _What if? What if he had?_

"We can't know for sure what he did. What we do need to know is if she's bleeding anywhere we can't see." Rossi pointed out, and they all awkwardly looked at the passed out agent in front of them. Garcia couldn't help but scan over her body mechanically, trying to spot any source of injury. She saw nothing.

"Uh, everyone else should go over there, and I'll check her over." JJ spoke up softly through her tears, and Garcia felt guilty so she avoided eye contact.

She knew JJ had wanted to be a good friend earlier and she had shot her down, but she was clinging to Morgan at the moment. She didn't know why, but she wanted to be with him right now, and never let go. He was her only source of comfort.

"Okay. But what about Reid?" Morgan asked, and everyone looked at him curiously.

"Guys, I can walk." He insisted, but Rossi shook his head.

"Maybe you can, but I'm not letting you."

"Oh, come on, I'm not an invalid, I can do things you know." Reid urged again, but nobody was going to take it.

"Well, uh, it's only Reid. Emily probably wouldn't mind much. We all know he'd only be looking in a doctor kind of way." Garcia put forth timidly, but immediately felt awkward afterwards.

"She's right, Reid you...you just stay here and make sure she's okay." Hotch said firmly, putting a bright blush on Spencer's cheeks, he looked away flustered.

Once again, the awkwardness filled the room as Morgan, Garcia, Hotch and Rossi walked to the far end of the room, behind a bookcase.

Morgan wouldn't remove the firm grip on her arms, as if he thought she might fall over any second. She may have been hurt, but he wasn't that weak. When she looked up and saw him staring at her, she tried to smile. It didn't work in the slightest.

As she looked into his eyes she began to cry, uncontrollably choking over nothing. He pulled her into a hug, putting a hand on the back of her messy hair. She held him tight, neither speaking a word. Soon she realised he was crying to, and she gripped him even tighter.

Opening her eyes again, she pulled back at him and just looked at him as he moved to wipe away a tear from her cheek. She gently reached up and did the same to him.

He held her hand as they sat down against the book shelf.

And then they waited.

XXX

Spencer quickly averted his eyes as JJ tearily unbuttoned Emily's blouse, and gave her a once over. Then he heard her whimper and he couldn't look away anymore.

"Are those...?"

He glanced down at Emily's stomach on instinct, and visibly flinched as he saw them. Taser marks decorated her fair skin, on her stomach, arms, neck and he assumed her thighs as well.

"Taser marks..."

A strange sound escaped his lips as he imagined what it must have felt like. The agony she must have experienced. Guilt washed over him thickly.

"He tasered her. _He tasered her._ Oh god." JJ repeated over and over, like she couldn't think for herself anymore.

Reid looked down at Emily's closed eyes, and noticed the tears below them. What the hell had they let her do? He should have just subjected himself, and only two of them would be hurt right now. Not three. Not Emily.

Gently, he wiped away the water from under her smudged makeup, and tried to ignore JJ's stare. All he could think about was her unconscious form, and the permanent pain etched on her face. What had they done? She'd never recover from this. He was sure of it. She may be strong, but nobody recovered from torture. Even Reid himself, years and years after it, still had nightmares about Tobias. They happened weekly and never got better.

She would have them too. She'd wake up in night sweats, trembling with fear, only to get a knock on her door from a neighbour who heard her scream. She's have the visions flash by when a victim looked the same, and have to try and hide it from the team.

That was, if they actually go out of here.

XXX

"So he tasered her?" Hotch asked in an angered voice, looking down on Emily. She was still rested on Reid's chest and he had his arms uncharacteristically tight around her. She was still unconscious and even the resident genius below her was beginning to worry.

"A lot." JJ stuttered out, and furiously blinked away her tears. Not that it mattered, she hadn't really stopped sobbing since this whole ordeal began.

Morgan punched a bookcase beside him with the hand Garcia wasn't gripping tightly. She was white as a sheet, and Morgan was... well, Morgan.

"When will she wake up?" Rossi asked, looking paler than usual.

Of course Reid answered.

"It should be soon, if not we have a problem." He answered, and JJ looked at him in confusion.

"And what exactly is your idea of 'soon'?" She asked, but her hands were still shaking furiously.

"Within the next half an hour." He told her, and looked at Emily, his own tears forming.

"And if she doesn't wake up...?" Garcia asked, seeming like she didn't want an answer. But Reid was going to give her one.

"Um... we'll figure that out then. Let's have some faith in her. She's strong." Hotch said before the youngest agent could answer, not wanting any extra worry.

He still couldn't process anything. Emily, fearless Emily, had been tasered into unconsciousness protecting the team. And what had they done for her in return? Nothing. Tried to figure out a way of escape and failed miserably.

And that just brought more guilt. What was their way out? Was there one? He couldn't be sure and it scared him.

"We still need a way out." Rossi said quietly. Hotch sighed, he read his mind.

"Well good luck with that. He's still watching us." Reid said irritably, and once again everyone stared at him in shock. What was happening the Reid they knew?

After a moment of silence he spoke again. "I'm not trying to be a pessimist; I'm just being honest..."

"I know Reid." Hotch told him softly. "But I do have an idea..."

"And if you say it out loud he'll hear you." JJ pointed out. And she was both right, and wrong.

"Morgan, come here." He said, picking the most athletic man on the team. Garcia followed suit, not releasing her grip from his hand. Hotch couldn't find the energy or courage to protest.

Slowly, he whispered in Morgan's ear. If the team couldn't hear him, there was no way Hubbell could.

"Listen. We need to grab the heaviest books we can find, and throw them at the cameras. With any luck, they'll break, he'll see and come down here. After we hit them we can discuss our take down plan. And even if they don't, he'll still come down here. This interrupts his feeling of control, and he'll lose the high he's on, and no doubt try to stop us." He explained into Morgan's ear, and the man nodded.

"Now, or later?" Morgan whispered lowly, not giving away any of the plan to Garcia.

"After Emily is up. That way we can actually all get out of here while he's down. I don't know if we'll be able to kill him, but no doubt we can overtake him." He whispered once again, and Morgan sighed.

"Alright." He replied simply, and walked away, never relinquishing his tight grip on his Baby Girl.

Hotch rested his head back on the book case. This wasn't going to be easy.

XXX

The blackness was turning to grey as Emily came to. Her head was pounding like she'd been hit by a car, and there was an intense pain behind her eyes. All she wanted was to slip back into the unconsciousness, but some nagging thought that she couldn't recognise kept her up above the sea of darkness.

Then she heard muted voices. As she fought to stay awake, they became louder and clearer. She soon realized they belonged to Reid and Morgan.

"I'm worried for her. She should have been awake by now." Morgan said, and Emily wished she had the energy to prove to him she was.

"I would be more worried about afterwards. He tasered her for almost an hour... she isn't going to forget that." Reid said, bringing sharp memories to the surface.

She remembered every jab, every sting and every shock Hubbell had inflicted. She remembered her fear, her agony and his pleasure. But she also remembered how utterly proud she'd been to survive. How proud she still was.

"None of us will ever forget this." Morgan said softly, and as Emily fought to open her eyes she moaned in pain.

She instantly felt hands on her, and Reid talking quickly. Her mind couldn't keep up with what he was saying, but she was sure it was something about her being within the expected time limit of waking up. At least she thought so.

"Emily?" She heard JJ ask from above her, and she groaned again as she regained more feeling and therefore more pain.

Finally she forcefully opened her eyes, and cursed under her breath as harsh light invaded them. She squeezed them shut, but Reid spoke to her.

"Come on, just open your eyes. We need to know you're okay." He said, and she moaned, almost like a child who wanted to stay in bed on an early morning.

"I am okay..." She protested, and she heard someone sigh beside her. Instinct told her it was Garcia.

"Emily please." Hotch told her, and she gave up on her protests. Slowly, she opened her eyes, blinking furiously.

The team surrounded her pain in their eyes, and she realized she was lying on Reid's chest, his arm tight around her shoulder. That surprised her. Morgan was holding her hand, and JJ had a hand on her knee.

Out of habit, she began to sit up, but suddenly everyone forced her back down, which she did with no arguments as sharp pain from her taser wounds bit at her.

"How are you feeling?" Rossi asked, and she turned her head on Reid's shirt to look at him.

"How do you think I'm feeling?" Emily muttered and covered her eyes with her hands, hating the sensitivity to light that came with blacking out. She knew it too well.

"Don't close your eyes; you can't fall asleep that soon. You still have a concussion and you were just tasered into unconsciousness, sleeping could make it much worse." Reid said from above her hand and she regretfully pulled her hand away from her eyes.

"Fine." She mumbled. But then a sudden realization hit her, and her stomach felt cold. The last thing she remembered was falling over on the carpet, and Hubbell had left. So how did they know she got tasered?

"Wait. How did you know I got tasered?" She asked accusingly, and looked each one of them in the eyes, but each looked away awkwardly. She felt Reid's grip tighten slightly on her shoulder.

Realization made her go cold.

"Uh, the rest of them went over there and I checked you over. I'm sorry, but we needed to make sure you weren't bleeding anywhere." JJ explained, and Emily looked down with a flush. Embarrassment overtook her, but she forced it down, telling herself it was only JJ.

"Well, it's only you, so..." She said in a small voice, but instantly felt Reid's hold on her shoulder tighten further. And that couldn't be good.

"I felt that Reid." She said, and moved her head to awkwardly look at him. He avoided eye contact.

"Just spit it out. You were here too weren't you?" She said, figuring it out quickly. A huge blush appeared on his face, and the same thing was mirrored on her cheeks as well.

"They made me stay here. I didn't look I swear." He muttered, and she forced down the embarrassment that once again arose within her gut.

"Relax. It's fine." She lied, and moved to lay back down properly. "How long was I out?"

"About an hour or so." Hotch explained, and she sighed. Memories of the taser were taunting her, and she tried to keep them at bay the best she could. The others seemed to notice.

"You know, if you want to talk about anything, I'm always here." JJ told her softly. As much as she knew it was meant in the nicest way possible, Emily shook her head.

"No offence, but save it. Have we got a way out of here yet?" She asked, and the team collectively raised their eyebrows at her determined tone.

"Yeah actually. We just might."

**So? Sorry it's been so long, I was updating my other fic and got lost in it :p REVIEW PLEASE I BEG YOU! xxx**


	12. Chapter 12

_Disclaimer: I only own my imagination!_

**No Such Thing.**

Morgan gripped the heavy book tentatively, anxiously awaiting Hotch's cue. They were going to start their escape plan, and they were going to start it soon. His palms were sweaty with worry. So many things could go wrong with this. So many.

Hubbell could KILL someone. If he brought a gun... Anyone could get shot. Just the thought of it made Morgan cringe. He felt oncoming tears when he couldn't stop himself from imagining his Baby Girl getting shot once again. Or Reid, JJ, Emily or anyone else.

But they really didn't have a choice, did they?

"Ready?" He heard a hushed voice say from behind him. He nodded, not having any words to say.

"As I'll ever be." He forced out with his stomach in knots. As much as he hated Hubbell's guts, and the red hot anger he felt towards the man who'd hurt his Baby Girl, he was still scared of him. It couldn't be helped.

"One..." Hotch said quietly, and he took a deep breath.

"Two..." Morgan said and began to shake slightly. This was it. Adrenaline shot through him

"Three." Hotch called, and they made their move.

Both men stepped out from the bookcase, and took the extremely heavy books with them. With a swing of his arm, Morgan flung the book at the closest camera, and sighed in relief when it hit with a large crash. He ducked behind a corner to avoid the falling objects, and when he looked back around, the camera was destroyed.

"Thank god." He muttered to himself.

He looked to see Hotch throw his book, but noticed that the second camera had extra supports. There was no way a single book could take that down.

And that was a problem. They'd counted on this going off without a hitch, and Hubbell storming in with a fit of anger. But if he saw them try and fail to kill the second camera... He'd probably laugh.

Morgan ran to grab another book as he saw the camera wobble, but not fall. But when he ran towards Hotch, JJ put a hand on his chest.

"Let me do it." She said, and he almost laughed. Not to sound cocky or sexist but...he was...him. And JJ was...JJ.

"JJ, I'll get it." He said, but she grabbed the book's corner.

"Dammit Morgan, we don't have time for this. Give me the book." She said, eyes flashing with agitation. Not sure why, he released his grip on the heavy object.

Surprisingly, she held the book with ease, and gracefully threw it in the air, hitting the camera at a perfect angle. It toppled to the ground, followed by an extremely large thud from the book smashing to the ground. Morgan almost ran to hug her.

But Emily groaned from the couch, and he turned to see Reid cover her ears gently, blocking out the noise from her stressed head. Morgan had forgotten how painful sounds must be.

"Never doubt a varsity soccer player Morgan." JJ said with a small bit of happiness in her dull voice. He managed to smile.

"Soccer has nothing to do with it, you used your arms." He said and looked at Hotch, who nodded as they made their way beside the giant wooden door. He could be here any minute.

"Goalie." JJ said and pointed to herself, causing even Hotch to flicker a smile across his lips.

"How long do you think it'll take him?" Reid asked from the couch, and Derek found himself slightly surprised Reid was asking the question and not answering it.

"As soon as he hears the noise or notices the cameras." Rossi said, and moved to stand beside Hotch.

"Dave, go sit down; you have a concussion." Hotch ordered and Rossi looked at him ludicrously.

"I don't give a damn what I have, Hubbell has the power to kill us all; you need all the help you can get." Rossi argued, and Hotch seemed to debate within his head.

"Hotch, let him help." Garcia said from the arm chair, and Hotch nodded, mumbling in defeat.

With a pang to his heart, Morgan realized that his god given solace, JJ, Emily AND Reid were all in the line of fire if Hubbell chose a gun as his weapon of choice.

"Penelope and JJ- help Reid and Prentiss behind the bookshelves. And you two stay there as well. You need to be safe." Morgan said, and although Garcia nodded, JJ crossed her arms.

"I'm helping you. I'll get them behind the shelves but you are letting me help you." JJ argued, and even as Hotch opened his mouth to speak against it, she got even more annoyed.

"I already told you! We don't have time to argue over it. You can't stop me." She said, before turning her back and holding Penelope's arm gently, bringing her towards Spencer and Prentiss.

Morgan watched as (against Emily's complaints) the two grabbed her under the arms and helped her behind the closest bookshelf. She sat down there, and even though she looked as though she might fall back into unconsciousness any second, Emily managed to stay sitting up. Garcia kissed her pointer finger and pressed it to Emily's temple, apparently sensing how bad this was really about to get.

Then the two moved to get Spencer. Morgan couldn't help but notice that he never took his eyes off Prentiss. Practically ever. Odd...

JJ pulled him up using his good hand, and Garcia grabbed his other side at the waist, carefully avoiding any spot where blood was present. They helped him over to slump down beside Emily, and Derek was sure he heard him mutter something along the lines of 'I'm fine, let me walk myself' as they did so.

He sighed as he watched Penelope look over at him, tears in her normally light, beautifully happy eyes. Inside his head he debated how much time they had, before saying 'screw it' and rushing over to pull her into a bone crushing hug. He took solace in her arms, and kissed her hair as she whimpered in his chest.

"Derek..." She stuttered, and he shushed her gently.

"It'll be fine. We're getting out of here, relax gorgeous girl." He whispered, and she pulled back, holding in a sob.

"Don't you dare get hurt." She commanded through her tears, and he sighed, unable to smile.

"Never." He said and kissed her forehead one more time.

"Morgan..." Hotch warned, and he realized time might be running out.

He turned to go back towards the door, JJ following behind him when Reid called to them.

"Guys... just...just be careful okay?" He said, and Emily looked at him, eyes pleading.

"Of course." JJ assured them, and the two ran back towards the wooden door.

He pressed his ear to the cold wall and listened intently, but all he hears was silence. And then...

"Fucking idiots, what do they think they're doing?" Came Hubbell's highly agitated voice from down the hall. His footsteps got closer and closer, until he was no doubt only feet away.

This was it.

XXX

JJ's legs began to shake as she waited behind Morgan, heavy book in hand, for Mark Hubbell to open the door.

Before long she heard his sickening voice through the wall, and thought her heart might explode with fear. Her heart was beating in her ears, and her legs felt like rubber. And yet...she was waiting almost excitedly.

She heard the lock click, and quickly glanced over to make eye contact with Penelope, who was peeking around the corner, tears in her eyes. JJ glared at her, trying to get her back behind the book shelf. Slowly, Garcia did as she asked, and disappeared again.

Henry and Will flashed in her mind, but before she could really think about them, the door swung open violently.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing!" Hubbell's voice rang in the room.

Time seemed to stand still for just a moment, as she saw him realize what was going on. It was also then that she noticed the gun in his hand, and the knife in his other. They hadn't counted on that.

Then everyone moved at once.

Hotch and Morgan tackled him to the floor in a blur of motion. She heard a grunt of pain escape Hubbell and then just the muffled sounds of a struggle.

Then someone yelled out in pain.

JJ felt her heart beat fast as she saw blood spatter, and then came to the painful realization that it was coming from Hotch.

He rolled off Hubbell with a grunt of pain, and Rossi, albeit looking like he wanted to help him, joined the wrestling match against the unsub. Instead JJ ran to his side, surprisingly collected, and firmly turned him over to see a stab wound on his lower abdomen.

"Hotch?" She asked anxiously, and he grunted as his hands flew to the blood, but his firm expression remained.

"Leave me, I'm fine. We need out of here. Go help them." He urged her, and she shook her head. He was bleeding badly, and the wound looked almost...fatal.

"Go, JJ!" He raised his voice and regretfully she turned around and saw Morgan roll over Hubbell and heard him mutter curses under his breath.

Then once again, a cry of pain. This time Morgan's. She looked to see blood rolling down his chest, and as he tumbled off the unsub, she traced it up to where he had just been stabbed. His shoulder was torn and bloody, and even with the pain he was in, he managed to curse with extreme accuracy.

JJ was about to run to him when she saw Hubbell's gun scatter across the floor. Instinct took over and she ran to it, falling to her knees and grabbing it clumsily. In a second she had it pointed at the two men still wrestling for the knife, and she realized with a pain to her heart that she couldn't get a clear shot.

"Rossi, move!" Morgan yelled, having caught on by now. But either Dave didn't hear, or just chose not to. He still struggled with Hubbell, neither winning, nor losing.

Suddenly Garcia was beside her, shaking but determined. Before JJ could yell at her to go back behind the books, she grabbed at Rossi and yanked him off Hubbell with adrenaline fuelled strength.

And then she had a shot. She was millisecond by millisecond losing her chance, but she was chickening out. And then she remembered what he had done to Reid, and Emily, and Garcia, and now Hotch and Morgan. And overcome with anger and hatred for the man, she pulled the trigger.

But all that sounded through the room was an empty click.

Hubbell grinned maliciously up at her, a dark light in his eyes.

"Didn't think it would be that easy, did you JJ?"

**So? It was shorter than the others and had been long awaited. **

**WARNING. NEXT CHAPTER WILL NOT BE FOR AT LEAST 2 WEEKS. I'm sorry, but I have exams and finals and all that stuff I have to deal with.**

**Again, sorry. And please review!**

**xoxox**


	13. Chapter 13

_Disclaimer: I only own my imagination!_

**No Such Thing.**

Garcia looked on in fear from beside Rossi, her arms still latched around him. She was frozen on the spot, unable to move. That little click was enough to make her heart stop. The gun had never been loaded. How could they have been so damn stupid?

"Didn't think it would be that easy, did you JJ?" Hubbell leered.

The next thing she knew, he had propelled himself forwards and knocked JJ to the ground, pinning her beneath him. He pushed her hands into the hardwood floor and she winced visibly, cold fear covering her eyes. Garcia knew exactly how it felt to be pinned underneath this psycho. And it was horrifying.

He pressed the knife to her throat, and her blue eyes widened in realization. He could kill her. Penelope's heart froze over, and tears pricked at her eyes as she came to the same conclusion as everyone else. Any move they made, would get her throat slit. Anything they did, could kill her.

"Get off her!" Morgan yelled, but couldn't move, as his arm was steadily bleeding through his fingers. Penelope wished to be with him, but just couldn't make her legs work. She couldn't make anything work.

"Ah ah ah, don't give me commands Derek, who's the one with a knife pressed to poor JJ's neck here? Oh yes, that would be me, not you." Mark Hubbell taunted with a smirk, and began to lightly trail the knife down towards JJ's chest, watching along with everyone else as her breath unwillingly hitched.

"What good would killing her do Hubbell? It would put an end to your fun. An end to this game! Is that what you really want to do?" Hotch threatened with his hand pressed hard to his stomach, and even though Penelope was no profiler, she knew he was using some strategy to get JJ away from him. But if she could catch on, Hubbell could surely do the same.

"I have the other six of you... what's killing off the seventh? No big deal, now is it JJ?" The unsub asked teasingly, and began to trace the knife farther down her body, occasionally pressing harder, but not enough to draw blood.

"Hubbell, we both know you don't want to kill her yet. You don't just want_ her_ to suffer; you want us all to watch her suffer. And then we in turn do the same thing. So killing her... that's really pointless you know." Morgan argued, still pushing a firm hand to his bleeding arm.

Hubbell growled, and sat up, but the knife remained where it was, and he was still straddling JJ. There was a small amount of relief in her eyes, and she looked straight at Penelope, sending electricity through her veins. They continued to look at each other for a few more moments, making sure the other was alright.

"Then tell me profilers," Hubbell began, and even Garcia knew it would be a load of bullshit. "What do you think I would rather do, hmm? What would, as you would say, _get me off_? Tell me."

"You want to see pain in not only her eyes, but ours also. Deep down you wish you could control us all, and make us watch while you hurt her, because then you could watch us squirm. But you know you can't do that. After all that's why you used a room so close to this one in order to hurt us; so the team could hear the screams." Hotch further explained, and Hubbell seemed to contemplate it.

"You like the fact that we feel selfish. Selfish for letting them go with you, guilty for not being able to do anything about it. It makes you feel powerful. You_ are_ powerful." Rossi said, and Garcia realized she was still holding onto him. She let go quickly, but felt alone as she did so.

"You're right. I am powerful. I did this to all of you. Just me! I hurt you all. I tasered Emily into unconsciousness. I stabbed Spencer... wait... where are they?" Hubbell asked, coming to the realization that two of his captives were missing.

Garcia prayed in the silence that followed for the two to stay hidden, but she was sure they wouldn't. And she was right.

"We're right here, asshole." Emily said as the two walked out from behind the bookcases, arms around each other's waists.

"Watch your language Emily, JJ will pay for it." Hubbell taunted once again, and Emily's face contorted briefly with a flicker of fear.

Reid's eyes were firmly fixed on JJ, fear and guilt completely radiating from his body. The sight of her on the ground, under a psychopath was obviously enough to bring tears of anxiety to his eyes, as he seemed to take in the precariousness of the situation.

"Thought you could hide could you? No. I'm in charge here." Hubbell said simply.

"Exactly." Hotch said. "And that's why I'm surprised you haven't done what I thought you would. I guess you have some other plan."

Confusion flickered on Hubbell's eyebrows as he focused on the team leader, who Penelope now noticed was bleeding heavily onto his white shirt.

"What did you think I was going to do then, Aaron? Huh?" Mark asked in an angry voice, the knife moving dangerously close to JJ's neck. She didn't dare move.

"Well, like I said you want us to feel guilty and selfish. The ultimate way to do so, is to allow some of us to leave. If you-"

"Nobody's leaving here. Not alive that is." Mark interrupted Hotch, his eyes flashing with frustration.

"Actually Hubbell, Hotch is right." Reid said suddenly, albeit quietly. "If you kept, say one of us here, and let the rest go, the guilt would no doubt eat them alive. Leaving one of their family to be tortured is... extremely selfish."

Garcia didn't like where this was going. Nobody needed to stay behind. No. Everyone was supposed to stay safe. She loved them far too much to part with any of them. That wasn't allowed. JJ and Emily were her girls. And Morgan, Reid, Hotch and even Rossi were her boys. _Hers._ Hubbell couldn't take them away...

"And anyway, there are no odds of escaping. With the size of this property, our lack of cell phones and injuries, nobody is going anywhere." Rossi chipped in, pointing out the obvious, in case the unsub didn't see it.

"Then why the hell would you go?" He yelled, and tightened his hold on the knife still pricking JJ's fair skin.

"Try and bandage each other up, hide, I don't know. All I was suggesting is that I thought that you would have come up with that plan. I guess I overestimated you." Hotch antagonised, and Hubbell stared at him furiously.

"Who says I don't have a better plan?" Hubbell asked, but he was no doubt covering himself.

"Oh you do? Mind telling us what it is then?" Emily asked with a tinge of sarcasm underlying her tone.

"You know what? This is bullshit! I'm in charge here! Me. I make the decisions." Hubbell said angrily, and rolled off JJ.

Everyone moved at the same time, trying to get JJ out of his space quickly. She tried to roll away, but he grabbed her hair and dragged her backwards with a gasp, then slid an arm around her neck, firmly locking her in place. Garcia felt her heart sink.

He placed the sharp knife aiming directly at her delicate temple, and smirked ever so slightly.

"Yes Mark, you do make the decisions. So which are you going to make? We all know this won't last forever. The police _will _come looking for us. You can't keep this going much longer." Morgan explained calmly, wincing as another obvious wave of pain hit his arm.

Hubbell looked like he was going to snap in half. Whether it was because he had lost control, or the fact that Morgan was right, Garcia wasn't sure. What she _did _know is that he was contemplating what to do. And by the looks of it, he actually liked what Hotch and Reid had suggested. But Penelope? She hated that idea. Almost more than she hated this entire situation. More than seeing JJ with a knife to her temple. More than seeing Hotch, Reid and especially Morgan hurt. More so than hearing Emily scream when she was basically electrocuted. She just didn't think she could leave anyone here, unless... unless it was her being left behind.

"You know Hotch, I think I might just choose your option. It had crossed my mind many times before, and I like the fact that you, being the one who suggested it, are to blame for whoever gets hurt." Hubbell said, and Penelope's heart shattered. She watched as guilt visibly flashed on Hotch's face.

"Okay. I'm staying with you, and everyone else leaves." Morgan said, and Garcia couldn't help herself when she called out.

"No! No, Derek you can't. I...I'll stay." She stuttered out and ignore the fear in her stomach as Hubbell grinned at her.

"Absolutely not!" Morgan said ludicrously, his eyes filled with an intensity she'd never seen before.

"I'll stay. Anyway, all I'd do is slow you down." Reid offered, and the entire team shook their heads.

"Not gonna happen Spencer. You already have me, just let them go." JJ pleaded with the man who had a knife to her forehead. He just chuckled.

"Well he never got to finish with me. I'm staying." Emily argued, and immediately everyone mumbled no.

"No. Emily you are not staying here. All I have is a concussion, if anyone should stay here, it's me." Rossi put forth, and before anyone could yell at him, Hotch interrupted.

"Stop arguing. I'm staying. I'm the leader, you listen to me." He said and Hubbell choked on a laugh.

"Oh, Aaron. You may be the leader out there, but here the dynamic flips. I am in charge. And I am going to choose who stays here. After all, I'm doing you a bit of a favour by giving you the chance to _try _and escape." Hubbell said, and Garcia's heart froze over.

This wasn't going to end well. She had the distinct feeling that he wouldn't pick her. And she wasn't sure if she could handle that. Tear began to fill her tired eyes.

XXX

JJ tried to remain calm as Hubbell pressed the knife to her forehead. It's cold blade threatened to cut into her skin, and she fought to keep her thoughts from drifting to Henry and Will.

"Okay. JJ, I'm going to let you out of my grip. But you aren't going to try anything, got it?" Hubbell asked, and she refrained from nodding her head.

"Yes." She squeaked.

He moved the sharp knife from her head ad loosened his grip, her all but toppling out of his arms. She felt as though she could breathe again.

"Go sit beside Penelope would you?" Mark asked her, and she did as he said, realizing that they were basically sitting in a semi circle around the now standing Mark Hubbell, who pointed his knife out in front of him.

Garcia gripped her hand suddenly, and she squeezed back tightly.

"But how on earth am I going to choose? You'd all be so much fun to be alone with..." The unsub trailed off, smirking and looking over each injured team member.

"Just pick me, would you?" Emily asked in a cold, dry tone. He raised an eyebrow. JJ felt her heart beat speed up as Hubbell studied her. She also noticed Reid jerk his hand to grab hers, almost as if to stop her from leaving his side.

"Oh, but that would be unfair. I have to do this in a nonbiased way, of course." Mark said, his voice changing in pitch tauntingly.

"How?" Morgan asked immediately. JJ almost cringed waiting to hear what Hubbell would say.

"Eeny...meeny...miny...moe..." He began, pointing first at Hotch, then Morgan, then JJ and Penelope.

The group collectively sucked in a breath.

"Catch a...tiger...by the...toe..." He continued, pointing to Rossi, then Emily, then Spencer and back to Hotch.

JJ knew she'd be able to work it out in her head, but was unable to make her thought move.

"If he...hollers..." Hubbell said ominously, pointing to Morgan, then JJ with a wink.

"Let him...go..." He said, spinning slightly to point to Penelope and Rossi.

"Eeny...meeny..." He continued, and pointed to Emily and Reid again. JJ knew who was going to be selected. It was obvious. Regret and fear built in her chest. She felt Garcia squeeze her hand hard enough to crush her bones.

"Miny..." He said with a grin, pointing at Hotch. His hand then moved and pointed straight at Morgan, who sucked in a breath.

But Hubbell instead, spun on his heels, his hand going in a semicircle to point at Reid.

"Moe." Hubbell uttered with a smirk, and a devilish raised eyebrow.

Spencer looked up at him emotionlessly.

**Sooooooo? I'M SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG. I HAD SCHOOL, AND THE WORST WRITERS BLOCK IN THE HISTORY OF EVER.**

**PLEASE REVIEW GUYS, I LOVE YOU 3**

**xoxo**


	14. Chapter 14

_Disclaimer: I only own my imagination!_

**No Such Thing.**

Spencer swallowed the fear he felt as Hubbell spun to point at him. He heard JJ stifle a gasp, and glanced over to see Emily begin to cry.

"Spencer...I just had so much fun with you. I...I'm fascinated by you when you're in pain. And this was, after all, partially your idea." Hubbell said confidently, and Reid sighed, trying to remain calm.

He knew this was the right thing to do. It would save the others. He couldn't stand to see any of them hurt anymore, especially Emily. It nearly killed him when he heard her screams. So... he had to do this, and stay brave throughout.

"Fine. Fine. Everyone...go. Get out of here." Reid said softly, looking at the ground. Out of his peripheral vision he saw JJ shake her head.

"No. No way. We are not leaving you here Reid." Morgan said angrily, but Reid shook his head fiercely.

"Yes you are. You're all hurt, and you all need help. Whether you want to leave or not, you're going. Find a way out. I know you can. Don't bother with the cars, I'm sure you wrecked them?" He asked Hubbell, who nodded maliciously.

"No, Reid I can't go and know you're here being hurt. I can't do that!" Penelope argued through tears, and shaky breaths.

Reid stood up warily, looking at Mark for permission. He nodded slightly and Spencer walked to where Garcia was, pulling her up with his good arm. She was still shaking her head. He put his good hand on her shoulder.

"Yes you can. And you will. Be strong for Morgan. Get his ass out of here, and don't let him do anything stupid. You and I both know he'll try to come back. Don't let him Penelope. Okay?" He asked, tears starting to brim his eyes.

Garcia shook her head. "No, no Spencer,"

"Do it for me. Okay? I'm staying here, and all I want you to do, is get Derek out of here." He said again, looking over at Morgan with a stern look. The other man shook his head, but his eyes said he was thinking differently.

"Reid, I am not allowing you to stay here and get hurt!" Hotch said firmly, and stumbled upwards, a hand firmly on the stab wound on his stomach.

"Guys! What don't you get about this? It's not an option! He's not letting me go okay? You need out of here. You all need medical help. And Hotch, as the leader, you have to help them! Nobody is dying because of me. You all need to leave." He said and put a hand to his now pounding head.

"Spence..." Was all JJ could manage before a sob escaped her throat.

He wrapped her in a hug, and held her as tightly as he could. He decided to use this memory while Hubbell did as he wanted, and hold onto the feeling to survive. He loved JJ more than anything; she was his best friend. If a memory of anyone was going to get him through this, it would be one with her in it.

"It'll be fine. I'll be fine." Reid whispered softly, and felt JJ tremble.

"Oh no you won't Spencer." Hubbell taunted and Reid sighed, extremely annoyed.

"Yes, I will. Now go." Reid assured her and backed away unwillingly. He didn't want to let go, but they needed to get out of there. They needed to be safe.

He watched as the girls took a few staggered, dreadful steps backwards towards Hotch, Rossi and Morgan who were now all standing warily. He noticed Emily hadn't moved, and he turned to see her looking at him silently, tears rolling down her pink cheeks. He quickly enveloped her in a tight hug, feeling her hold him tighter than he'd ever been held before.

"Please. Just let me take your place." She whispered in his ear, and he ran a hand over her back.

"No way in hell Em. Just make sure they get out safe. Make them listen to you." He told Emily, and still not unlatching from her, he swallowed down the lump in his throat. 

As soon as I get them help I'm coming back for you. You know that right?" She asked and he smiled sadly.

"Of course I do." He said softly, knowing he couldn't argue with her. Instead, he lightly kissed her hair, unable to think why.

"Don't die on me Spencer." She said as she let go of him. He looked into her deep brown eyes and couldn't tell if she was being completely serious, or was attempting to be light and...well...Emily Prentiss.

"Never."

XXX

"Why the hell did we agree to this?" Rossi asked as soon as Hubbell shut the door behind them. Hotch spun to look at him, trying to keep composure.

"Because you all need medical attention. As soon as we get help, I'm coming straight back for him." Aaron assured them and immediately cringed as he thought of the state Reid might be in by then.

He didn't want to leave Spencer behind. In fact, he wanted nothing more than to go back in there and forcibly rip Hubbell's throat out. But the rest of the team, maybe including himself, needed help right away. And as harsh as it was to admit it, he wasn't going to sacrifice all their lives just to run back in and get Reid. He would hold on longer than probably any of them could, just because that's who he was.

"So am I." Emily immediately added, and before he could argue, Morgan impatiently raised his voice.

"Shut up. We all need to hurry and get back for Reid. Let's just get us _all _the hell out of here."

XXX

"So, Spencer, what shall we do while your team abandons you and attempts to get away?" Mark taunted, and watched as Reid spun to look at him, irritation clear on his face.

"Correction; gets away." Spencer said firmly, causing anger to stir deep in Hubbell's gut. The attitude in this one... but then again, that' why he picked him.

"I'd watch what you say if I was you. I'm the one with the knife here, and you're the one with the stab wound and no chance of escape." Hubbell replied, and walked slowly closer to Spencer.

He watched as Reid fidgeted slightly under his stare, but didn't back away. Had he gotten more confident? More accepting of his fate? It was an interesting concept to ponder, but Hubbell had no time for that. He was already craving more torture. Deep down he knew that it would soon be something he couldn't go without for hours, but for now, he would use Spencer for as long as he could.

"That's correct." Spencer said lightly, almost carefree. What was going on? He was supposed to be frightened...

Hubbell stepped closer, and suddenly shoved Reid forcefully, watching as he fell backwards and cried out in utter pain. A smile began to appear on Mark's lips as he knelt down beside the fallen genius.

"How about we get started, hmm?" He asked with a grin, and moved to sit on Spencer's stomach, effectively straddling him. The genius didn't even flinch.

He put the knife to his throat, and began trailing it downwards, occasionally nicking his fare skin, just deep enough to bring blood to the surface. He was pulled from his trance by a sigh escaping Reid's firm lips, and looked up to see no fear, pain or worry in his eyes.

In fact, there was something more like confidence in them. Confidence and maybe a tad bit of arrogance?

"What?" Hubbell asked, looking into his eyes, trying to seem as powerful as possible.

"Nothing." Reid said, almost as if to make a fool out of him. That was not acceptable.

He shoved to knife downwards suddenly on Spencer's other shoulder, on a painful, sharp angle. He was fairly sure it went deep into the muscle, and he knew that was painful. Reid gasped in pain, clenching his teeth together, but still showed no fear.

Hubbell pulled the knife out and sliced open his arm deeply, tearing through his white shirt. This earned another pained cry, but nothing appeared in his eyes. Hubbell was sure confusion was showing on his face. Obviously Spencer Reid saw it too.

"Stab me all you want Mark. You aren't going to get what you want." He said rather calmly, and Hubbell paused to simply stare at him, brows furrowing.

"We both know you like seeing people in pain. But you also love the fear. It's crucial. Except you won't be seeing anything like that in me. Not tonight." Spencer assured him, and for a second, anger flashed in his chest making it seize.

"And why the fuck is that?" He spat out angrily, watching as Reid, pinned to the floor with a knife ready to stab him, chuckled. Reid _chuckled._

"Because, I have nothing to be upset or fearful about. You just let my family, the only people I care about, go free. And even though you seem to be convinced otherwise, they _are_ going to get out of here. I only worry about them, not me. Hell, Morgan even teases me about being too selfless." Spencer said, and Mark, out of instinct, stabbed him in the arm out of anger. Reid gasped, but didn't cry out.

"When you took me before, I wasn't scared for myself, I was scared for my team. For my family. But you just let my entire reason for fear walk out those damn doors. And they'll come back, yes. But with police, SWAT, dogs, you name it. And they'll be just fine." Spencer further said, provoking Hubbell to swear under his breath, and push the knife in deeper, earning a cringe.

"Truth is Mark, you picked the wrong person to keep with you. You will see no fear in me. You could be ready to kill me, and I don't give a flying fuck, quite honestly." Spencer said, surprising Hubbell again. He didn't seem like the person who swore often. "Because my family is safe."

Suddenly, realizing his huge mistake, Mark felt rage and fury overcome him like a hurricane, and flood his every muscle. He picked up the knife and plunged it into Reid's stomach, causing blood to spurt out quickly. Spencer cried out viciously, unable to hold in the agony any longer.

Hubbell relished the pain, but still couldn't find any small amount of fear within those caramel coloured eyes. This angered him further.

"Who says I haven't set up things to stop them from leaving?" Hubbell said, which wasn't completely a lie, but was definitely an exaggeration.

"It won't even slow them down." Reid said, seeming very confident in that statement.

"Oh? Well if that doesn't slow them down, I think one thing will." Hubbell said, and ripped the knife out of Spencer's chest, laughing inwardly.

In a sudden movement he shoved it down, hitting Reid's ribs excruciatingly. Spencer instantly screamed out in agony, the pain overwhelming him. It was obvious he regretted calling out, but was unable to stop it from happening.

"Your screams." Hubbell finished saying with a smirk, and with a twist of his wrist, turned the knife's blade in between Reid's ribs, tearing open his intercostal muscle.

Reid obviously didn't want to, but he couldn't help it as he screamed out in pain, his blood soaking through his shirt to form a circle of crimson.

**So?**

**REVIEW. I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG. BUT I HAVE SOOO MUCH GOING ON! **

**I can't promise another chapter until at least a week or two from now. SORRY!**

**xo**


	15. Chapter 15

_Disclaimer: I only own my imagination!_

**No Such Thing.**

Emily Prentiss was going out of her mind. No matter how many times she tried to keep moving, every time Spencer's yells echoed to her ears, she stopped in shock, physically feeling the pain. They all paused and grimaced, but she bent over in a flinch, electric pain rocketing through her.

Another yell sounded. It happened again, and she put a hand on a wall to steady her. Guilt overtook her body.

"We have to keep moving Em. We'll go straight back for him as soon as we get help." Penelope said with tears in her eyes.

She nodded and followed the others down the hall, checking rooms one by one. They needed phones. Computers...radios...anything. Who knew how long it would take to flag down a car. They would need to stay here.

Another scream. She almost fell over this time.

"What the hell are we doing? Let's split up; it's a million times faster." Emily yelled, and everyone stared for a minute, before nodding.

It seemed that in their confusion and upset, nobody had any common sense.

"Shit...uh... Hotch and Rossi you go that way, JJ go with Emily upstairs and I'll go with Penelope downstairs." Morgan said quickly.

"Downstairs? The basement?" Penelope asked in a scared voice.

"Penelope. Listen to me. We don't have time for this. It'll be fine, I promise. Now let's go." He said forcefully and they all cringed as they heard another scream.

Emily leant against the wall and tried to block it out. The faster they got out of here, the faster she could go back for Spencer.

"Come on Em." JJ said quickly, and grabbed her arm, pulling her down the hall while her other hand was on her neck where Hubbell's knife had been.

...

It had been twenty minutes. They'd searched every room, closet, nook and cranny. There was nothing. It was full of junk and creepy stuff of course, but there was nothing useful.

Reid's yells had gotten quieter, and sounded as though he was trying desperately to hold it in.

Suddenly another one rang in her ears, travelling though the venting system of the house. She clenched her eyes shut and bit her tongue as she tried to stay on task.

But she just couldn't. Reid was dying. And she was up here, searching for something useless. The others would find it right? If she was to...you know...sneak off, they'd be fine right? Yeah. But Reid wouldn't.

She noticed JJ go into another room, which they had already searched. This was her one chance. Slowly, silently, she creeped down the hall and towards the stairs. She was careful to watch her step as she declined, but her light-headedness was making it difficult.

She had made it to the main floor, but soon realized that she wasn't sure where she was. Damn, if she only had Reid's memory. _Reid. _She needed to hurry.

Emily was sure her footsteps weren't as quiet as they should have been, but she didn't care. Quickly, she skulked through the hallways, attempting to both navigate the maze, and not bump into Rossi or Hotch.

Finally, she saw the large wooden door. A large cry came from behind it and Emily physically gasped in her own pain.

"Excuse me Emily, where do you think you're going?" JJ suddenly called from behind her, making her jump and fall into the wall.

"Shit! JJ don't do that to me."

"Don't-...don't do that to you? What the hell do you think you just did to me? You are _not _going in there!" JJ said all very high pitched and worried.

"JJ. It's Spencer. I am not sitting here. I'll do what it takes." She said angrily, and looked into JJ's blue eyes.

"No! You can't. You have to stay out here. We'll get him after." JJ said, but Emily interrupted.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I'm not saying I'm not terrified. I am. But god, I can't watch you die." JJ explained, but anger was bubbling inside Emily.

"But you'll watch_ Reid _die? I don't care anymore, you can't stop me." Emily spat and turned to rush towards the door, but suddenly she was jolted backwards as JJ grabbed her arm and tugged.

"What the hell!" Emily said angrily, but stayed hushed.

"Em I'm not letting you go in there. I'm not." JJ said harshly.

A scream sounded painfully loud from the room that was mere feet from them. Emily gasped along with JJ, both women near tears.

Then Emily did something that shocked not only her, but also JJ. She shoved the other woman against the wall by her shoulders and looked at her both apologetically and venomously.

"I said I'd do whatever it takes." She muttered and looked at JJ.

Suddenly she realized what she'd just done. And what she was now doing. She was pushing JJ against the wall, and the woman looked more than scared. Her blue eyes were wide, and Emily immediately let go of her grip and backed away in surprise.

"Em..."

"He's turning us against each other. He wants this. I'm sorry." Emily said immediately, feeling terrible.

"Don't apologise. Let's keep our heads. And let's kill this bastard." JJ said, and Emily couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"Oh just because I have a kid, doesn't mean I can't swear." JJ added, with a small, rare smirk.

"Then let's do this for Henry, eh?" Emily said, and grabbed JJ's arm, pulling her lightly towards the door.

XXX

Spencer Reid was in a world of pain. Blood stained almost every inch of him, and agony pulsed through each of his rushing veins. His breath came out in gasps and his eyes fluttered open and closed. His mind was a whir of statistics, worry and upset. All he could think about was the team. Well, that and estimating how much longer he could last. He figured probably another hour. If Hubbell didn't cut any major arteries or organs, that was.

"Come on Spencer, don't you die on me now. I bet your friends just LOVE hearing your pain. It must be so...guilt inducing." Hubbell taunted maliciously. Spencer opened his eyes and looked at him strongly. He wasn't giving in.

"They're not coming back Mark. They know better." Reid said firmly, attempting to seem confident in his facts.

"Oh I wouldn't be so sure. Listen very closely. Just beyond that door." Hubbell said, and with a shock to his heart, Reid strained to listen.

He couldn't hear exact words, but his heart stung when he easily distinguished JJ and Emily's arguing voices. Both seemed annoyed with the other, but he was disappointed in each. There was no way they had gotten help that quickly. Emily would have snuck off, and JJ would have gone after her. As per usual.

How could they do that?

He heard them get closer to the door after some sort of commotion, and his heart raced. They couldn't come in here! No...god no... He'd kill them! Torture them and kill them. But Spencer wouldn't be able to do anything...after all, he could barely move his eyelids. They were drifting closed painfully.

"No..." He muttered subconsciously and wished he hadn't when Hubbell grinned widely.

Suddenly the door clicked and he watched in slow motion as Hubbell rolled off him to put the knife against his neck. Then the wooden barrier was pushed open, revealing Emily standing there alone.

Spencer's first thought was about JJ, but he stopped himself from showing anything on his face. He tried to seem brave...strong...confident...but he couldn't when he saw the look on Emily's face.

Her tears become wide and red when she saw him lying on the floor, blood covered and on the edge of blackness. She stifled a gasp and he saw fury brewing within her. Emily's hair was messy and tangled, and her clothes were still ruffled. But it was her hands that he was drawn to most. They were shaking and clenched, and as he met her icy eyes, he noticed that she seemed to tense further.

"Well hello Emily. Nice of you to join us. Surely, you didn't get help that fast?" Hubbell asked confidently.

"No." Emily said through clenched teeth. 

"So you came back?" He asked again.

"Yes." She answered in the same angry tone.

"Like I said you would?" Hubbell asked, but it sounded more like a statement than a question.

Emily said nothing.

Reid continued to breathe raggedly.

Hubbell laughed.

"Too predictable you are, sweet Emily." Mark said in a captured tone, and stood up.

He walked slowly to where Emily stood and Reid watched as she shut the door behind her silently. He couldn't help but wonder why.

Hubbell still played with the bloodied knife in his fingers as he stepped closer and closer to Emily, who suddenly seemed much smaller.

"No.." Reid called out, although it was in a small voice. Hubbell smiled at him, but continued moving.

"Em...go...I'm fine..." He struggled to say, coughing once.

"Spence...I can't let him hurt you. I'm sorry but I can't do that." Emily said teary eyed and thick throated. Reid shook his head.

"Well, the more fun for me." Hubbell said lowly as he reached Prentiss.

Suddenly he punched her in the stomach, causing her to gasp in pain. She doubled over breathless, just as Reid felt.

Another hit. Another gasp.

And again, and again, and again.

Reid was helpless to do anything as she crumpled to the floor.

"Emily..." He stuttered, and saw as she looked at him.

Something in her eyes told him she knew something he didn't.

But what?

XXX

Garcia followed Derek down the dim basement hallway, tripping over her own two feet every so often.

"Please?" She asked for the sixth time.

"Baby Girl, relax. I'm fine." He said, assuring her his stab wound was minor. But she could tell it was hurting her.

She kept asking to check it for him; look at it. But he denied her every time. He was putting on his usual brave face. She knew this for two reasons. One; well, this was Derek Morgan after all. And two; her own slice still pained her, and that had been hours ago. And ten times less deep.

Suddenly another scream pierced the air, but this time it wasn't Spencer's. This time Garcia almost fell into the wall. That was Emily's voice.

"Oh my god..." Garcia stuttered, and dissolved into tears. What was she doing?  
Morgan pulled her into his chest, and she heard him swearing under his breath. She cried against his chest, knowing they were wasting time, but not caring.

This was just getting worse and worse.

XXX

Emily rolled onto her stomach, as Hubbell sliced her hip with the knife. A gasp escaped her lungs, and she clenched her eyes. This was all worth it. She was saving Reid. She had to save him...he was...he was Spencer Reid.

"Oh, stop hiding Emily..." Hubbell was taunting, but all she could think about was Spencer.

Was he okay? Fuck no, she knew that. But...would he be okay eventually? Would he even survive long enough to see 'eventually'? What if he lost too much blood?

Hubbell stabbed her rib. She screamed in shock, unable to stop herself.

But what if Reid never recovered? Could the damage be too much? Would he never really be okay? She was almost shaking thinking about it.

He kicked her where the knife had just cut her. She screamed again, this time louder.

In her pained haze, she turned her head warily and looked towards Reid. She saw that he had rolled onto his side, symbolically holding himself together with his arm. She looked into his caramel eyes, and found solace in them. They may have been filled with worry, pain and guilt but they still managed to give her something to cling on to.

And she did just that.

**Hey! Thanks for the subscriptions! REVIEW GUYS! 3**

**xo**


	16. Chapter 16

_Disclaimer: I only own my imagination!_

**No Such Thing.**

JJ ran into the room closest to her as soon as Emily shut the wooden door behind her. She immediately began to search desperately for anything she could find to fight Hubbell with. The room was cluttered and filled with useless objects; nothing to use.

She could hear Hubbell taunting Emily, and she rapidly ran down the hall to the next room, but the door wouldn't budge. She realized it was locked, and running on adrenaline, acted like Morgan and shoved herself into the wooden barrier, biting her tongue not to cry out in pain as the door flew open.

She ran in, holding her side painfully, and saw that she was in a torture room. There were knifes along the wall, a taser, and several other sharp objects. She looked to the floor and cringed as she realized there was Reid's blood pooled in the center.

She could just imagine him fighting off Hubbell as the man stabbed him...Emily squirming away as he came after her with the taser...Hubbell's maniacal pleasure... _No. Stop it._

A scream echoed to her ears, and she felt herself begin to cry as an image of Emily flashed in her mind. Now Hubbell had her too. And she had to stop him.

She ran to the wall and grabbed a small knife, tucking it into her waistband on her back, hoping to god she didn't end up stabbing herself. Then she ripped the taser off the wall, and looked at it warily. He had used that on Emily. She had been electrocuted with this very weapon that JJ herself was holding in her hand...

Another pained yell reached JJ, and she blinked away her tears forcefully. She needed to do this. But could she? Sure, she'd killed someone before. But that was with a gun. A quick shot to the head. This was a taser. And a knife. It was just so...up close and personal.

She heard Emily cry out, and felt her heart freeze in icy fear. She had to do this.

She rubbed her tears away and held the taser out at a safe distance, pressing the button. It buzzed and zapped quickly, scaring her, but also assuring her, and giving her confidence.

JJ then ran from the room, keeping her footsteps incredibly silent as she reached that damn wooden door, that over the last few hours, she'd learned to hate so friggen much.

She heard a grunt come from Emily, and heard Hubbell laugh.

"Stop it!" She heard Reid shout, but Hubbell's laughter only heightened.

Once she was sure his attention was back on Emily, she put her hand to the doorknob.

_Let's do this for Henry then, eh?_

_Yes. For Henry._

With a twist of her wrist, she turned the knob silently, and opened the door, just a crack. It was enough for her to see Reid lying on the floor, covered in blood, looking at who she assumed was Emily, with guilt, fear and...something else? She couldn't help but recognise the look in his eyes; the same one Will had when he looked at JJ herself.

Suddenly Reid noticed her, and his eyes widened. Quickly, she motioned with her hand, asking if Hubbell would see her. Spencer looked over urgently, and turned back, shaking his head to answer her. This was it.

She snuck in through the door, closing it almost fully behind her. She saw Emily on the ground, curled in a ball and Hubbell kicked her, and she cried out. JJ tried to keep herself together.

She crept forwards, looking rapidly from her careful feet to Mark's back, her fear visibly making her shake. She sensed Reid staring at her, the same look on his face, and the same force making him tremble.

Hubbell knelt down on top of Emily, and she squirmed but was unable to get away. His hands travelled dangerously close to her waist line, and Emily whimpered.

"Oh Emily, you can't say no twice." Hubbell said in a terrifyingly malicious tone.

JJ was so close. He was only about 5 feet away now. So close. But so far. So much could go wrong.

Another step.

Hubbell hit Emily and she gasped, but the man didn't turn.

Another.

Still he took no notice of her. She was only two feet away now. She held the taser out in front of her, her arm shaking.

She leant forwards, and the floor let out a dreadful, horrible creak.

Hubbell spun on his knees, and without thinking JJ shoved the taser forwards, pushing the button when it made contact with his shoulder. She closed her eyes as she heard the electricity buzz through him. She heard a thud and opened her eyes to see him fall to the floor, still conscious.

Unable to think properly, she dropped to her knees and shoved the taser to his chest, and this time saw him convulse terribly, as his murderous eyes rolled back. She kept that damn taser there for what felt like forever.

After an unspecified amount of time, she realized he had passed out, and pulled the taser away, and with a click shut it off. She hadn't noticed how silent it was until the buzzing was cut short. All she could hear was Emily and Spencer's quiet breathing.

And then, not able to keep it in any longer, JJ fell back wards against the couch, and began to cry. Her tears flowed freely, and her sobs wracked her frame. She saw Emily crawl to her, one hand on her ribs, and put the other on JJ's hand.

"Shh. It's over." The other woman whispered, and JJ sniffed and nodded.

"I know." She said through her cries and repeated it over and over and over in her head.

_It's over. It's over. You're okay. It's over. Emily's okay. It's over. Spencer's oka-_

_Spencer. Shit._

JJ whipped her head to see him lean his head back on the floor, effectively collapsing. She stumbled to his side, her sniffling getting louder.

"Spence! Spencer talk to me!" She begged, and although he looked absolutely horrible, he smiled.

"About what?" He asked with a hint of sarcasm. She burst out with a laugh and held his hand with a strong grip.

"Spencer please tell me you'll be okay. Please." Emily asked desperately, and JJ looked up to see the other woman sobbing as well. Maybe even more than JJ.

"Of course I will. I'm more worried about you." Reid said honestly, and looked up at Emily, using his free hand to tough her arm.

And suddenly, JJ knew _exactly _what was going on. She knew why the two had been so close the last few dreadful hours, and why they seemed to be linked together. And the reason made her beam with a smile.

"Me? Look at yourself Spencer Reid! How the hell are you even alive?" Emily asked, out of breath.

Reid looked at her with a spark in his eye, and suddenly JJ felt that she was intruding on a private moment.

"I made a promise to someone that I wouldn't die on them. I don't break promises." He said, barely a whisper. Emily looked at him as though he was the most valuable thing in the world.

Yeah, JJ was definitely intruding on a moment. But before anything could happen, or anyone could speak, they were interrupted by Morgan and Penelope bursting in the room, out of breath and frantic.

Both stopped in their tracks, and took in the scene. Their eyes moved from Hubbell lying on the floor passed out, to Reid, Emily and JJ gathered together, all crying, but smiling at once.

And Garcia let herself cry, and pulled Morgan into and obviously bone crushing hug. He put his lips to her hair, and closed his eyes, finally able to do so for the first time in a while.

...

10 minutes later, JJ and Morgan had helped get Spencer onto the couch, and Emily refused to leave his side. JJ had to hide her smile as she looked at the two, holding each other's hands. Of course Morgan and Garcia didn't see that as anything out of the norm. Okay, there wasn't really a 'norm' for this situation, but still.

"Why did you guys come back?" Spencer asked faintly, and Morgan didn't move from hugging Penelope.

"We found the phones. He stashed them in the basement. There's no service there, so we came up here, and then we saw the door and... well, JJ you obviously had it under control." He explained and rubbed Garcia's back. She hugged him tighter, a smile on her face and her eyes still red.

"Yeah Jayje. We owe you a thank you." Emily said and JJ raised an eyebrow.

"You'll shut your mouth if you know what's good for you." She said with a smirk.

Just then Hotch and Rossi rushed into the room, and did the same double take as Garcia and Morgan. They had obviously found where Hubbell had hidden the guns, as they had them in their hands. Nobody spoke for a minute, but it was a comfortable silence. A relieved one.

"Reid, are you okay?" Hotch asked quickly, crossing the room to stand over him, dropping the weapons on the spare chair.

"I'm fine, everyone stop worrying." Spencer insisted, and they all looked at him with eyebrows raised.

"How are we not supposed to worry? You...you got hurt for us. _Because_ of us. Look at you man!" Morgan said somewhat exasperatedly and gestured to Reid's state.

"I'm okay. Let's just get the hell out of here okay? And never come back?" Spencer asked, and Emily chuckled.

"Sounds like a plan kiddo." Rossi agreed, and the team stood, JJ putting an arm around Emily to help her, and her never letting go of Spencer as Hotch and Morgan put his arms over their shoulders.

They'd only made it a few steps when they heard a grunt from behind them. JJ froze on the spot.

For some reason, nobody had the reflexes to move properly, and JJ heard Hubbell stumble to his feet.

"You bitch!" He shouted, and she finally spun to see him step towards her angrily. She let go of Emily immediately, pushing her out of harm's way.

Fuelled by anger and disbelief, JJ full on punched Mark in the face, with all the force she could muster up. She heard a crack, probably his nose, and saw him stumble backwards, swearing.

But then she fear crept upon her again as he looked at her murderously and began to charge.

But a shot range through the air, deafening them as Hubbell cascaded backwards, blood spreading from his chest. He fell to the floor once and for all with a large thud, and his eyes shut. Somehow nobody had to check. They knew he was gone. Far, far gone.

JJ stood in shock for a moment, before turning to see Rossi, gun still pointed at the dead psycho, his eyes focused on her icily. Without thinking, she tugged the gun out of his hand, put it on the table and pulled him into a hug. She felt him hug back, and she couldn't help but smile.

"Nice aim." She muttered.

"I could say the same thing JJ."

XXX

The group stumbled out the front door, after trying to find their way through the maze of a house for no less than 20 confused minutes. Emily took a deep breath in, feeling fresh air fill her lungs gloriously. She had hope inside her. Finally.

Hotch and Morgan set Reid down on a porch bench, Emily right beside him, and Morgan pulled out the cell phones.

"Damn. Still no service." He said angrily, and Rossi groaned.

"I can get us service. I have a router in my SUV... better safe than sorry, right?" Garcia said, music to all their ears.

Morgan looked at her as though she was the best thing in the world, and Emily held Reid closer to her, ignoring the fact that his blood was soaked into her shirt.

"Honestly, what would we do without you Baby Girl?"

They all chuckled, euphoria from the events that had just occurred still filling them up. Morgan took Penelope's hand, and they walked, well more like wobbled, to the cars, 15 feet away.

Then Spencer began to cough, and Emily's attention was drawn to him again, as he put a hand to his mouth. He then looked at his hand, and both he and Emil stared in worry. He had just coughed up blood.

"Oh my god Spencer..." She said breathlessly.

"What's wrong?" Hotch asked in a fearful voice.

"Nothing-"

"Coughing up blood is not nothing! Stop covering it up Spencer!" Emily said loudly, and ignored the look she got from Hotch. Her eyes were focused on Reid's, guiltily.

"Garcia better hurry the hell up and-"

"Call for help? Done. Paramedics and police are on their way." Penelope said quickly as she rushed up the porch steps, Derek not too far behind, tightening a make-shift bandage around his stab wound.

"Thank god." JJ exclaimed and without warning, pulled Garcia into a tight hug.

"Reid, are you sure you'll be okay? Do you need us to do anything?" Rossi asked in his deep tone, and Reid immediately shook his head.

"79% of stab victims survive as long as proper medical care is given within approximately 12 hours, and the body doesn't start shutting down until at least 5 hours have past. Coughing up blood is only a sign of deep wounds, rather than the body failing. Actually, a recent study proved that-" Spencer ranted, but suddenly stopped as he realized everyone was staring. "What?"

Suddenly Emily couldn't hold it in anymore. She stared at him in awe, losing herself in his eyes. The very ones she had found solace and hope in. Reid was so absolutely clueless, and yet so incredibly smart at the same time, that she couldn't stop herself.

Without thinking any further, Emily leaned in and pressed her lips fiercely to Spencer's, feeling him tense in shock. Before she could worry that she had made a mistake though, he kissed her back, the two never letting go of the other's hand.

Suddenly she could hear the team laughing, Garcia squealing and JJ cheering. But the two didn't break apart for a long time, both letting the butterflies in their stomach's flutter to their heart's content.

"Get a room, would you?" Morgan said amusedly, and finally, the two broke apart and looked at each other in shock.

"Well I didn't plan on that happening." Spencer admitted, unable to stop smiling. Emily laughed.

"And exactly what part of any of this _did _you plan, Spence?" She asked sarcastically.

He smirked.

**So, they're finally out!**

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**They'll be about two or three more chapters!**

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	17. Chapter 17

_Disclaimer: I only own my imagination!_

**No Such Thing.**

The ride to the hospital was...stressful, to say the least. Emily of course wouldn't leave Reid's side, and Garcia wouldn't leave Morgan's. JJ herself ended up in the same ambulance as them, while Hotch and Rossi went in a separate one.

The paramedic was wrapping Morgan's arm in gauze, attempting to create a make-shift sling that would stop the bleeding. And of course, it wouldn't. Another paramedic was fawning over Garcia, who even though she had a relatively small wound, flinched whenever someone touched her. JJ observed as Penelope jerked again, and figured that whatever Hubbell had done to her, she might never get over.

JJ felt substantial guilt as she realized she only had one very minor wound to her neck, that a small Kleenex could fix. She was fine. But nobody else was.

Hotch (even though he tried to hide it) was in excruciating pain due to his chest wound, Rossi was disoriented by his large concussion, Emily had a concussion, several wounds and bruises, along with being electrocuted, and of course Morgan and Garcia.

But none of that was as bad as Spencer. Would he even make it to the hospital? God if he didn't make it...JJ could still remember what the paramedics had not-so-quietly told Hotch when they loaded the genius in. 'He's stable for now but...That's a shitload of stab wounds. I can't promise anything.'

Holy shit...a world without Spencer Reid? The relief if getting out of that damn house was replaced by more icy fear...something she'd experienced far to much in the last...how long were they even there?

She tried to imagine a world without Reid. No random statistics, no dorky smiles, hair ruffles, catching of unsubs, scientific ramblings...nothing. And god, that would rip them all apart. But it would be nothing compared to how destroyed Emily would be. She loved him. And if he...if he...

Well Hubbell would have gotten what he wanted. Just the thought of him spurred memories for JJ. _The feeling of him pinning her to the ground, his hot breath on her neck as she tried to pull away on the wet grass...the feeling of him pulling her hair before Spencer gave himself for her...that damn knife on her neck, forcing her breath into sharp, cold in-takes..._

Wait...her breath didn't do that then...but it sure was now. All of a sudden she couldn't catch it, and her head was reliving memories, and images of Spencer's lifeless body had sprung to her mind and-

"JJ? JJ calm down." Morgan's voice was saying, but she couldn't see him. _Or anything except Mark Hubbell's maniacal face, leering down at her like-_

"She's having a panic attack. Try to talk her out of it while I fix SSA Morgan up?" She heard an unfamiliar voice sound.

_Hubbell was smirking at her, looking happier than she had ever seen him before, his knife in one hand, a taser in the other...he started towards her, and she couldn't move, and Spencer was dying on the floor but she couldn't help him and-_

"JJ? Jayje? We're safe, snap out of it! He can't touch you. We're all fine, including Reid. Just relax! Deep breaths. Come on," JJ did as Penelope was telling her. "There we go. Let's just relax, everyone is just fine."

Suddenly Hubbell's face faded as JJ snapped out of it with a sharp intake of air and looked beside her to where Penelope was sitting, looking scared.

"You had a panic attack." The paramedic informed her lightly.

"I know."

"It's not uncommon after an experience like-"

"_I know._" She repeated, which quieted the man.

For the rest of the ride she tried her best to stay out of her thoughts by reading all the instructions put up along the inside of the ambulance. It wasn't easy.

XXX

Garcia paced back and forth in her hospital room, ignoring the nurse's protests to sit back down. She couldn't do that. Morgan was somewhere with a stab wound, so was Hotch. JJ...well after her panic attack, Penelope was extremely worried. Rossi had a concussion and...Emily...well Garcia didn't know. As for Reid, she had to hope he would keep fighting.

"Please let me see my team!" She begged again, but the young brunette nurse shook her head again.

"Ms. Garcia, you really should lie down. You've been through a lot-"

"Yeah, and you have no idea what! I just spent...I don't even know how long, being held hostage by a psychopath who cut me and did things that I'll never speak of again. I was forced to listen as my friend was friggen tasered, and watched as the psycho chose one of us to die. I had to leave my little boy genius behind while we left to find a way out. Yeah, that skinny guy with the millions of stab wounds? That's him. So don't give me any BS about lying down. Let me go see my damn family!" Penelope snapped, losing all of her self control.

The nurse stared at her for a moment in shock and then hurried out with a mumbled "I'll go get permission."

Penelope then really did sit down, tired from her outburst. Tears began to flood her eyes, and she rubbed them furiously, not caring about her appearance anymore.

Trying to calm down, she took deep breaths, and shut her eyes. But before she could do anything, terrifying memories of Hubbell intruded her mind, causing her to jerk.

_She could feel his hands all over her, the tip of the knife trailing down her stomach..._

She opened her eyes with a gasp of fear, and saw the nurse walking back towards her room.

"You can go see them now." She said politely.

"Which room is Derek Morgan in?" She asked immediately, and the nurse checked her papers.

"307."

XXX

Morgan looked up as he heard padding footsteps in his door way. He looked up to see his Baby Girl standing there, a worried look on her face.

"You heard anything about..." She asked, leaving Reid's name out of it.

"No. They wouldn't even let me leave the room. Did you sneak out?" He asked as Penelope padded further into his room, barefoot and only in a hospital gown and sweat-pants he presumed were from the gift shop.

"I might have blown up at a nurse and scared her into letting me leave." She explained with a smirk on her lips, but her eyes remained dull.

"I should've tried that." Morgan said as a joke, but Garcia cast her eyes downwards.

"I...I can't close my eyes." She said, and Morgan instantly stood to wrap her in his arms, ignoring the pain it caused his stab wound.

"If I do I see him, and everything he did to me and...and..." She trailed off, starting to cry.

Derek backed them onto his hospital bed, and they both lay down, his good arm around her shoulders and her shaking head on his chest.

"Baby Girl, I know you're not ready, but when you are, you gotta talk to me about this. About what he did. It's the only way to get better." He whispered, and stroked her back.

"Derek...he...he..." She stuttered, and he held his breath, hoping to god it wasn't what he thought it was.

"You don't have to tell me." He said after a few seconds of her crying.

"Reid was right. He did have my clothes off. You can...you can probably fi-figure out the r-rest..." she said with a sob, and Morgan tightened his hold on her.

If Hubbell wasn't already dead, he would have found him and strangled him right now.

He could just imagine his beautiful best friend, on the ground, pinned down by the psycho, crying, begging...but he wouldn't have listened. He probably just went faster. Oh god...

And she was so strong. How long were they in that house together? And she hadn't broken down, or even said anything. In fact, when he asked her if Hubbell had... she had replied with a no. With a lie. To keep him sane.

Penelope continued to sob in his arms, and he began to cry himself. He was supposed to be her protector. It was his damn job to be there for her whenever she needed him. But he wasn't this time, was he?

And yet he had the feeling that she wasn't mad at him for it. She might have even loved him more. And maybe, just maybe, he loved her more too. But this type of love...was much different than the way he'd ever looked at her before.

His Baby Girl...

XXX

Emily once again refused any pain medication offered to her.

"Please just let me see my team. I have to know they're okay!" She begged, but the doctor once again just continued to stitch up her ribs, causing her to wince.

"Ms Prentiss-"

"It's Emily." She interrupted coldly.

"Emily," the doctor corrected himself. "You've been through a lot in the last two days, and it's not a good idea for you to be up and about. You have 3 stab wounds, you've been tasered, and you've been unconscious twice. For your health, you'll need to lie down."

"But-" she protested.

"No buts." Dr Lowen persisted.

"Then at least let them come see me! I need to speak with them!" She argued, and then gasped as a particularly painful stitch pushed through her skin.

"I'll see what I can do Ms Pren-...Emily." The doctor said in that professional doctor's drone everyone hated.

"Is Spencer Reid okay?" She asked immediately, and winced as the doctor pulled her skin at a painful angle.

"I don't know, last I heard he was in surgery." Doctor Lowen told her, and finally finished with the stitches

"Please, you have to find out, he's gotta be okay!" She said painfully, remembering gripping his hand on the ride over, before he passed out and she began to cry.

"Is there any particular reason you need to know so badly?" Lowen asked, before lying Emily back down and standing up from his chair.

She struggled to answer.

"This team...they're my family. More than that. And Spencer is...well...way, way more than that...I..I think I love him..." She stuttered out, and looked at her hands.

"Ah. Your boyfriend?" The man asked her, but she shook her head.

"No...I...think I realised when Hubbell was torturing him, and I ran in. I saw him there, all carved up and in agony and...and I offered myself up instead. I had to save him. And now I need to know he's okay." She explained.

Doctor Lowen looked at her in a sympathetic way and leaned against the door frame.

"I can't just walk into surgery and-"

"Doctor Lowen, please. Surely, you of all people have had someone hurt, and been tormented by the thoughts in your head, just...just taunting you and telling you that they won't make it. That...that you never got to say goodbye and they might not even make it off the damn table. You have, haven't you?" She said, her voice thick as she saw him look at his feet.

"My sister." He offered up.

"Please. For the sake of my damn sanity, find out. Please, I'm gonna crack if I don't know." She begged, becoming teary again.

Dr Lowen looked at her for a minute, and her thoughts went to Spencer once again. Could he really die

After everything they went through...everything they just did...could it really have been for nothing? She loved him more than she'd ever realised before. His adorable messy hair, his random facts, all his quirks, flaws and perfections...he really was the most amazing person she'd ever met.

"Alright. I'll see what I can do. Get some rest Emily."

**So? It was shorter than the rest, I know. Sorry for the wait!**

**Review please, and thank you for my subscribers and favouriters!**

**xoxo**


	18. Chapter 18

_Disclaimer: I only own my imagination!_

**No Such Thing.**

Reid could feel himself drifting in and out of consciousness. It was a weird thing to experience, that was for sure. He seemed to be lost somewhere between the darkness which was ever trying to pull him downwards, and reality, where the repetitive beeping was deafening his ears.

Memories seemed to flash by, almost like a movie playing at the graveyard he went to every Halloween. He saw himself at his birthday party, crushing on JJ and awkwardly wishing to rip the hat off his head. He remembered being rescued from Tobias, hugging Hotch with relief. He could see Emily being pulled out of the room when they'd been held hostage at the ranch, her yells echoing off the walls. And he remembered every damn second of the last 48 hours, including the torture, and the glorious kiss that had saved him from the fear of not making it to the hospital.

Wait...had he made it? He couldn't remember it, which frustrated him to no end. Did he die? No...he couldn't be dead. That didn't make any sense. So was he alive? He couldn't be sure of that either. Maybe he was somewhere in between. That made a lot more sense.

Well, where would he be? Probably the hospital...could he be in surgery? That would explain the beeping penetrating his hearing... And the odd voices he heard here and there. The weirdest part was that everything was numb. He literally couldn't feel anything.

The only thing he hoped for was making it through this. For the team. Especially Emily.

XXX

"Garcia, Morgan! Oh thank god you're okay." Emily said anxiously when they entered, and Penelope ran a hand through her hair awkwardly.

"We were more worried about you to be honest." Derek said from beside her, and she nodded in agreement.

"Have you heard anything on Spencer?" Emily asked in a scared voice, her eyes wide.

"No. I'm so sorry Em. He'll be okay, he always is." Penelope said reassuringly, and sat on a chair, never letting go of Derek's hand.

"The damn doctor won't let me leave." Emily complained, and continually looked up to check the clock.

"Well the nurses wouldn't let me go either...I may have blown up in one of their faces." Garcia admitted, and Derek chuckled beside her. "I'm not proud of it."

"Maybe I should try that..." Emily trailed off, and looked at the clock once again.

"Emily...I know this is hard for you. But you just need to be a little more calm." Morgan coached, but he's clearly said the wrong thing.

"Calm? Calm? Morgan, I love Spencer and he's in surgery right now! He might not friggin make it out, and I'm supposed to be 'calm'? No! I'm dying here, freaking drowning in my thoughts because my mind's just going through the same circles over and over again!" Emily said rather loudly, and Garcia flinched.

"What circles?" Derek asked.

"That...that they'll be a complication. Or he'll lose too much blood or his heart stops or...god what if he doesn't make it off the table? I mean I don't think I can live without him!" She said through the tears that began to fall.

"None of us could." Penelope said and wiped a few of her own off her cheeks.

"Ugh, this is all my damn fault!" Derek suddenly shouted, falling into a chair and running a hand over his head.

"It's not your fault-" Penelope tried to say, but her voice faltered under the look he shot her.

"It is! I let him go. I stepped out of the way and let Hubbell take him. If I'd just stopped him...If I'd done something..." Derek said angrily, kicking the air.

"We all let him go." A voice came from behind him, and Garcia turned to see Hotch standing in the doorway. His chest had an obvious bump from the gauze over his stab wound, and his hospital clothing fell limply over him.

"This is all our faults. Not just one person's. What happened in that house is something that never should have. But it did, and we let it. All we can do now is help Reid get better." He added, and Penelope felt Morgan relax a little beside her.

"And how exactly do we do that, when he's still in surgery?" Emily asked angrily. Hotch shot her an annoyed, disapproving look.

"I'm going to go find Dave and JJ. Emily, please get some rest. Reid will be okay. Morgan, Garcia, get some sleep as well. Everything will be fine." Hotch ordered, and left the room, but Penelope noticed it wasn't without obvious discomfort.

"He does realize none of us are going to be able to sleep, right?" Emily asked out loud.

"Yep."

XXX

"Oh, Hotch, there you are. They wouldn't tell me where you were, and I've been searching the whole damn hospital, and the wont tell me about Spence either and-"

"JJ, calm down." Hotch told her, and she tried to catch her breath.

"There's no word on Reid yet. The others are okay, but I've told them to get some rest, not that any of them actually will." He further told her, and she tried to calm down.

No word on Spencer...

"Are you sure about Spencer? I...I just...he has to be okay. This is all our fault and if he isn't okay...I just don't think...I don't...I..." She trailed off to try and hold back the wave of tears threatening to spill over.

Hotch put his arm around her and pulled her into his good side. She couldn't stop the breakdown that overtook her as she buried her head in his chest. A few days ago, just the idea of doing so would have been unbelievable. But now, after all that had happened, it didn't seem strange at all.

XXX

Penelope awoke with a startled gasp. The nightmare she'd been having disappeared from her sight, but lingered at the back of her mind. Hubbell running his hands over her...in places so intimate...sending shivers up her spine of discomfort and nausea...

"Baby Girl, it's just me." Derek said, and she looked up to see his face rather close to hers, concern on his features.

"It's just you..." She repeated. "It's just you."

"Yes Penelope, it's just Derek. You're safe. He can't hurt you ever again. I'll never let anyone hurt you." He said, like a mantra, and pulled her into his chest. It was then that she remembered they'd fallen asleep on his hospital bed, arms and fingers intertwined.

"I'm sorry." She mumbled, and buried her face in his shirt again.

"Hey. Silly Girl. Don't apologize for something that wasn't your fault. It was 100% Hubbell's." Morgan said in her ear, and she tried not to tear up.

"I know, but...but I let it happen!" She cried, tears spilling over despite her efforts.

"No you didn't!" Morgan said strongly, and stroked her shaking back. "What that bastard did to you wasn't something you could stop. And I'm so sorry I wasn't there to protect you. I promise, from here on out, I'll always, always save you."

"I don't n-need-"

"It doesn't matter if you need me to protect you. You're Garcia...people should be scared for their computer's lives if they piss you off. But I'll always be there, waiting to help you." He said, and she could hear the smile on his lips.

"Why?" She uttered, wiping her eyes and moving to look him in the eyes.

"Because I'm your best friend. It's my job." He said with a smile, but she saw that his eyes were watering.

"I love you Derek Morgan." She whispered.

"I love you too, Goddess." He whispered back.

"Do you promise it'll stay this way?" She asked lightly, wiping the last of her tears.

"What way?"

"Like...Just promise you'll always be my best friend?" She asked desperately.

"Of course. I'll always be your best friend..." Morgan said, and trailed off with a small sigh.

"What was that?" She asked, knowing something was wrong.

"What was what?" He asked, his face forming a small smile.

"...Nothing..." Penelope mumbled, and leant her head into the crook of Derek's neck.

He wrapped his arms around her tightly, and she was left to her worried thoughts for Spencer. She may have acted like she thought he'd be okay...but she really didn't know.

Suddenly, a voice from the door startled them.

"Both of you, quick. There's news on Reid." Rossi said hurriedly, and they jumped off the bed as fast as they possibly could.

XXX

Emily saw the rest of the team rush into her room with concern on their faces. Morgan was basically holding Penelope to his side, her arms around him tightly. Hotch was standing beside Rossi, both trying to hide the worry that was obviously plaguing them. JJ rushed to Emily's side, and held her hand tightly.

Emily? She was lost. Mind numbing fear about Spencer was swirling in her head, completely consuming her.

Finally, Doctor Lowen entered the hospital room door.

"Emily, as I promised, I've come right to you with the news. And understanding the worry you're feeling, I'll just spit it out." He said, and paused for what was probably only a second, but felt like an hour.

"Spencer survived, and will most likely make a full recovery." Doctor Lowen said, and Emily sucked in a breath of utter relief.

"Most likely?" Derek asked, but the doctor continued.

"He lost a lot of blood, and we had to repair both his intercostal muscles, a few ribs, some torn muscles and veins, and he has a concussion which was worsened by the blood loss." He explained. "But, thankfully, he held on. And obviously he has good reason to."

"When can we see him?" Emily asked immediately.

"Not for a while. I as the doctor, want you to get some rest. At this point, I don't care who sleeps in whose room, do what you like. But all of you, _all _of you, need sleep." Doctor Lowen finished.

"But when can we see him?" Emily persisted.

"Not for at least four hours. Now, all of you go get some rest. Doctor's orders." Doctor Lowen said, and swept out of the room.

Emily lay back in her bed with an annoyed sigh. She had a vague feeling that she wouldn't exactly be following the 'doctor's orders' for a whole four hours...

**So? I'm terribly sorry for the wait! Back to school and storms have slowed me down greatly! The powers been out nearly every night,, so I've lost some progress. Bear with me guys!**

**Thanks for reading, please review!**

**xo**


	19. Chapter 19

_Disclaimer: I only own my imagination!_

**No Such Thing.**

Emily was fidgeting for the billionth time that hour, worry and anticipation encircling her. She couldn't close her eyes because of the flashbacks that hit her full force. She couldn't pace because the damn nurses came in and forced her to sit down every time she did. And she couldn't see Reid because...well apparently she just couldn't.

Doctor Lowen entered her room to check in yet again.

"I'm still fine." She assured him, before he could ask.

"Good." He said with a smirk. "So you know, I've taken on the rest of your team as my patients. I figured it would be better as I'm a little more...lenient when it comes to rules and regulations."

Emily couldn't help a small smile. "So can I-"

"No, he can't have visitors. But I promise I'll tell you the second he can." Doctor Lowen explained, and Emily deflated back into her pillows.

"Then can I go visit the rest of my team?" She whined.

"Emily, are you not aware of how much pain you're going to be in when the medication wears off in..." He checked his watch. "Twenty minutes?"

"Of course I am." She said in an annoyed tone. She could already feel some of it, and was trying to remain in the state of mind that she was okay. They were all okay.

"Well then, you also know you probably won't be up to moving around. Your friends can come here, but I don't want you moving." Doctor Lowen explained, and she narrowed her eyebrows.

"But-"

"Emily. Please listen to me. I'm the doctor. You were stabbed. Your ribs are cracked. You were tasered. Is that not registering or...?" He asked rhetorically.

"Of course it's goddamn registering! I went through it! But I have to see my family. They're all I have and I'm sorry to be rude but you will never understand that! Now, I need to see Spencer." Emily said firmly, her voice raising.

"Look...he's still unconscious...I'll...I'll see what I can do about getting him a room near yours." The doctor said thoughtfully, and sighed. Emily realized he might get in trouble, but she couldn't find the energy to care after going through what they just had.

"Near here?" She asked.

"Don't push your luck." Lowen said with a wink, and left the room.

Emily once again was left to all the horrifying memories running through her mind. She could feel Hubbell stabbing her, kicking her and jabbing her with that damn taser. She saw his leering face grinning at her with malicious pleasure.

She was left to her consuming guilt. That regret that flew through her every breath, weighing it down. It captured her heart. If she'd only gone back to get Spencer...if she hadn't let JJ change her mind...if she'd just...just...

And then the fear kicked in. What if there were complications? What if the team couldn't just bounce back from this? What if the whole dynamic changed...what if some family members couldn't come back...what if they were too hurt...?

And then she was back to the guilt.

XXX

Morgan felt Garcia snuggle further into his arms, her breath tingling his chest through the thin hospital gown.

The feeling in his arm was coming back, and along with it, painful memories of his Baby Girl's face as she first entered the study. She had looked like a ghost of the bright person she usually was. And that terrified him.

He wanted to see her smile again, just this once. To see her face light up like the damn sun. Her 100 watt smile never failed to amaze him. And yet, even in her light sleep, her face was in a firm frown.

He knew it was because of her memories with Hubbell, and her worry for Spencer. He was equally as scared. Just because he's survived surgery, didn't mean he was in the clear. So many things could still go wrong. And it would be all Derek's fault.

After all, he was the one who let Reid go with Hubbell. He'd let Emily go. He hadn't protected them. And then he let Reid stay behind. What had gotten into him? What the hell was wrong with him?

He was a horrible person...and he had nobody to talk him out of this downward inner fall he was experiencing.

"Baby Girl." He whispered, shaking Penelope lightly.

When she didn't wake, despite feeling bad, he tried again.

"Garcia." He said, and moved a stray piece of hair from her eyes.

Still, she only mumbled a little, and nestled further into him. Still feeling bad, but ignoring it, he tried one more time.

"Penelope." He said, and her eyes fluttered open. He smiled at her, and studied her beautiful eyes.

"What?" She asked quietly, and he looked down.

"I uh...I didn't wanna be alone. Sorry, you can go back to sleep if you-"

She put a finger to his stuttering lips. "Oh shush. It's fine, my Chocolate God."

The use of a nickname was a good sign, he figured, so he sighed happily.

"So do you want to talk about it?" She asked in her angelic voice, and he thought about it. Suddenly he changed his mind.

"No." He mumbled apologetically.

"Alright sweet cheeks. Let's talk about something else. Anything else." She said with a small smile.

"Like what?"

"You really aren't creative are you?" She asked sarcastically, and poked his chest, making another piece of hair fall into her face.

Gently, he reached over and pushed it back behind her ear, feeling her skin form goose bumps from his feather-light touch.

"No, I'm not." Derek admitted.

"Okay, well let's do memories." She said, as if it was obvious.

"Memories?"

"Your favorite ones. Ones that make you happy." Penelope told him.

He thought about it for a second, then a small smile formed on his lips.

"Meeting you." He answered. Garcia abruptly looked down, a tinge of pink tinting her cheeks.

"And our first sleepover. You put chocolate sauce on my nose, and I accidentally knocked over the bottle onto your Hello Kitty blanket. Sorry about that, by the way." He said lightly, and tapped her on the nose.

"It's okay, I like my new Wonderpets one better." She said with a wink.

"You better! You have no idea how embarrassing it was to buy that." Morgan teased.

"You know you loved it." She said with a wink, and lent her head on his arm once more.

They fell into a comfortable silence for some time, both on the edge of sleep, but neither taking the plunge. Their breathing was soft and evenly spaced, both fully relaxed on the outside, but chaotic on the inside.

"You never cease to amaze me, you know." Derek said suddenly.

Penelope looked at him in a strange way, so he explained further.

"Even after...after what he...he did to you, you're still so bright. You're..." He trailed off, unable to find the right word.

"Stop.." She mumbled.

"No. No, your smile makes everyone happy. Your...presence makes everything better. Really Penelope, you glow. And it's infectious. Why do you think I woke you up?" He asked rhetorically, and put a hand to her cheek.

"Derek-"

"Look, I know you're wondering if I hit my head or something, but I didn't Silly Girl. You're so beautiful, and not even such dark things can dampen you. Like I said, you never cease to amaze me Goddess." He finished, and wiped a tear that had formed in the corner of her eye.

Penelope looked at him as if he was an entirely new person. As if he'd all of a sudden transformed. As if...she'd seen him in a new light.

And before he could think more on it, she leaned in and kissed him.

XXX

"I don't know if we can bounce back from this like we usually do." Rossi said with a sigh. He watched as Hotch lent his head back on a pillow.

"We won't. It won't be the same. But we'll still get through it. This team...we're strong." Aaron told him, favouring the wound to his chest.

"This isn't just a team anymore. Not after all this. We're a family." David interjected, and put a hand to his still pounding head.

"I know that. And we will pull through this. It'll be different, yes. But we're not throwing in the towel now." Hotch said.

"We never will." Rossi told him, and sighed.

"I hope."

"Aaron, you were a good leader back there. I know you're questioning it, but you were strong, authoritative and smart. You helped lead us out of a crisis that could have ended in death." He explained, giving his close friend a reassuring smile.

"And it still might. This is my fault." Hotch insisted.

"Stop right there." Came JJ's voice from the doorway.

She was leaning against the frame, the baggy hospital clothes making her look even skinnier, and more frail. It was odd, to see her with her hair in a messy bun, no makeup and no posture in her body. She was always a picture of perfection, really, and to see her like this was just...strange.

"This was all our faults. We all share the blame. Stop blaming yourself, the last thing we need is our leader breaking down." She said harshly.

"JJ-" Rossi started.

"I'm going to call Will, I need to hold Henry in my arms." She interrupted, and began to walk away.

"We're falling apart." David stated.

"Of course we are!" JJ said loudly, reappearing. "How could we not be! This will stay with us forever. _Forever._"

With that she walked away briskly, assumedly to call Will and breakdown. David thought about going after her, but realized he probably shouldn't. She needed her Will. She needed her son. That's what she needed now, not them.

Rossi sighed and let his head fall back, the reality of their situation overwhelming him.

XXX

"Hello?" Will answered, and JJ fought the urge to cry.

"H-hey. It's me." She stuttered, already welling up.

"What's wrong?" Will asked immediately, and JJ sucked in a breath.

"Will there was...there was an incident." She said thickly. She heard him breathe deeply.

"What kind of incident? Are you okay? Is everyone else okay?" Will asked, sounding desperately scared.

"Um...I guess...I guess that depends on your definition of okay." She stuttered.

"Honey?"

"Oh Will..." She said, breaking down. "We went to the unsub's house and he...he got us. Will, he got us and he kept us there. I don't even know for how long. And he tortured Spencer, and Emily, and Garcia...god and Morgan and Hotch were stabbed, and..."

"Are you hurt?"

"I...Only a little. I'm f-fine in comparison...I...I could hear Spencer screaming, and now he's unconscious, and something could go wrong and...and..."

"Holy shit Jen, where are you?" Will asked, his voice sounding as though he'd begun to cry.

"We're...we're at the hospital. He-here in Longmont, Co-Colorado..." She said, sniffing.

"Honey, I'm picking up Henry from daycare and then we're getting on a plane to come straight there." Will said frantically, and she could hear him get in the car.

"Are you sure? I...I'll be okay.."

"Don't lie to me Jayje, we'll be on the next available flight." Her boyfriend assured her.

"Um...Okay." She answered, and began to feel overwhelmed.

"Jen? Don't do that...you do not need to hyperventilate right now." Will said, knowing.

"H-how did you kn-know?" She stuttered, trying to calm her breathing.

"Because I love you and I know everything about you. Now, JJ, listen to me. I'm gonna talk about Henry, and everything we did the last few days. You just listen, and count your breaths. Come on now. Answer me."

"I-I'm here." She managed, attempting to be in control of her breathing.

"Okay. So, on Wednesday, I took him out to that play-place he loves, The Monkeys Jungle? And when we were there..."

**I know this has been long awaited and I really apologize for the wait, but I've been back at school, and I've been sick, and let's face it, how can my writing even compare to this season of Criminal Minds! Jhfbgrgrtgtn it's amazing :D**

**Review!**

**xo**


	20. Chapter 20

_Disclaimer: I only own my imagination!_

**No Such Thing.**

Emily looked up as JJ walked into her room, wiping tears.

"JJ? What's wrong?" She asked, her own shaky voice scaring her.

"Nothing's wrong. In fact, finally something's right." JJ said confidently, a smile appearing on her face.

And that smile was a miracle in itself. It was the first real smile Emily had seen since this whole ordeal had began.

"Will and Henry are on their way here. I just...I need to hold them in my arms, you know?" JJ asked, her voice cracking as she sat on Em's bed.

Emily winced as she did so, due to the fact that her pain medication had worn off, leaving the stab wounds and taser marks on her body burning and twinging.

"I do. Could you settle for holding me?" Emily asked, unable to hold in her tears.

Everything was just to overwhelming. The pain she was feeling, her worry for Spencer, the nightmares she'd started having already. Every thought was just so heavy. Every movement, every blink of her eye, just...everything.

"Oh...Em..." JJ cooed, moving to lie down beside the woman.

Her arm wrapped around Emily's shoulder, carefully avoiding anywhere that caused pain. It brought her more comfort than anything before it had. She started to cry more freely, and JJ rubbed her shoulder lightly.

"I'm just so worried for Spencer. He has to be okay. He has to." She said, after taking in a large breath. Her tears were now rolling freely down her face.

"He will be. He always is." JJ told her, but it sounded more like she was trying to convince herself.

"Jayje, cut the crap. He might not be okay, and I don't think I can live without him here..." Emily argued, and was cut off as a sob escaped her.

"He'll hold on for us. For you. He has so much to live for, and we all know he isn't going without getting back at Morgan for all the pranks he's pulled." JJ joked coldly, a sad smile on her fair lips.

"JJ-"

"And he still has to finish his explanation about the commonality of anxiety disorders from last week before Hotch cut him off." JJ joked again, this time getting a smile from both of them.

"Come on-"

"And he still owes Rossi 20 bucks from the baseball game bet." The blonde added, as Emily chuckled.

"And he still has to kiss me again." Emily added.

"Damn right he does." JJ grinned.

XXX

Morgan pulled back, his head swirling in shock. His Baby Girl had just kissed him. Not a peck on the cheek, or a smooch to the forehead. No, a full on kiss. And he didn't mind. Not at all.

"I...I'm sorry, I don't know why I did that." Penelope muttered, looking down with a deep blush.

"Hey, don't ever apologize for...for that." He stuttered, and couldn't help but smile as she reddened further.

And suddenly she wasn't just his Baby Girl. She was HIS Baby Girl.

Nothing about her had actually changed. She still had the same long eyelashes, the same perfectly curled blonde hair. Her lips were still a light pink and her freckles were still daintily faint. And of course, her eyes were still the warm, welcoming chocolate orbs they's always been, since day one.

But the way he saw her changed. It revolutionized. For once he saw something beyond the tight, unbreakable friendship they had. He saw a future.

"Penelope, I'm gonna ask you something crazy." He said, moving her hair out of her eyes.

"You already do that a lot, honey bunches." She teased, but there was a longing curiosity behind the words.

He struggled to find the right words.

"I just...why not give this a try?" Derek asked, and he watched his beautiful goddess look up at him.

"Give what a try? Us? I...Derek..." She muttered, looking confused.

"Baby, I know it's crazy. But so are you. And you know that's why I love you. So why not? We only live once. I think we all learned that the last few days." He explained, a blush forming on his cheeks, heating his skin.

"I..." Garcia stuttered, and he worried about her answer.

He needed this. He needed her.

"Oh why the hell not, my chocolate stud muffin!" She teased.

He immediately leaned in to kiss her, not giving a damn where they were. He was lost in Penelope Garcia, the woman he'd wanted for so long, and never even realized.

XXX

Doctor Lowen walked down the hall, his head a mess. He wanted to help Emily, seeing her so upset. But overstepping his boundaries was no less than terrible for his career.

So he was left to the last decision any doctor wanted to have to make. Job, or heart?

Deep down, he knew the answer. And if he didn't choose it, he'd hate himself.

"Doctor Lowen? You said you wanted to speak with the surgeon who operated on Spencer Reid?" A voice came from behind him.

He turned to see Doctor Ericson there, looking at him kindly.

She smiled at him, indicating herself as said surgeon.

"Yes, I did. How is he at the moment?"

"He's doing well, considering his injuries. While of course right now he needs to stay upstairs, I'd say in a few hours he can be moved to a less hectic room down here. We'll need to monitor him still, but he will be able to have visitors. Why do you ask?" Doctor Ericson questioned, glancing at passersby.

"As I'm sure you know, he's FBI." Doctor Lowen started, gesturing towards a bench against the wall.

The two doctors sat together, nobody giving them a second glance.

"Yes, he's here along with his entire team, right?" She guessed, running a hand through her ponytail.

"Yes. All I'll tell you is they've been through hell. And one of his team members is...well Emily is more than a team member to him." He explained, and sighed.

"Ah. I'm not surprised. I couldn't help but notice how cute he is." Doctor Ericson said with a wink.

Doctor Lowen was taken aback.

"I won't even start on the fact that he's 10 years younger than you. You were seriously paying attention to his looks while performing his surgery?" He asked in shock.

"Oh give me a little credit Robert, I only paid attention to that after I finished saving his life." She teased.

Doctor Lowen couldn't help but chuckle.

"Well, the thing is, is that Emily Prentiss wants his room as close as possible to hers. They sort of discovered that they loved each other while their attacker was...well, you saw." Robert said, avoiding details.

"Oh..." Doctor Ericson muttered.

"I know I'm overstepping my boundaries, but is there any way we could get his room next to hers?" He asked hopefully.

"I can do you one better." Doctor Ericson said, and small smile edged onto her face.

XXX

Hotch clung to the hospital phone pitifully, his entire body just waiting to hear Jack's voice.

... Had gone to go get him, and Aaron could only hear muffled voices in the background.

"Daddy?" Jack answered, and Hotch felt himself collapse.

"Hey buddy." He said, fighting tears.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked, insightful as always.

"Nothing, Daddy's just happy to talk to you. I miss you Jack." Aaron said, his words cracking as he wiped away tears he couldn't control.

"Did the bad guy try to hurt little kids again?" His son asked.

Hotch realized he probably made the connection from when he called Jack to reassure himself that he was okay.

"No...the bad guy tried to hurt us." He stuttered, unsure of how to explain.

"Did he Daddy?" Jack asked, miraculously innocent.

"A little bit. But I'm okay." Hotch assured Jack, and listened as he heard the distinct theme of ScoobyDoo in the background.

"What about Uncle Spencer? And Auntie Penelope?" Jack asked, worry in his high tone. "And Auntie JJ, and Uncle-"

"They're all fine. We're all fine." Hotch said.

He hoped to god he wasn't lying.

XXX

Emily looked up hopefully when she saw Doctor Lowen enter the room, hands fiddling, an unknown truth in his eyes.

"What?" She asked, as if it was the only thing that mattered. In some ways it was.

"I spoke to Doctor Ericson," He began, but she cut him off eagerly.

"Can we put me out of my misery and do this the short way?" Emily urged, and watched as JJ stood up.

"He's fine, and I was able to get the okay on moving his room down here." Doctor Lowen said.

Relief rushed through her veins.

"How close?" Emily asked, and JJ mirrored her eager anxiety.

"Actually, we managed to get permission to have you two share this room." He explained, as Emily beamed.

"Really? Thank you so much!" She said loudly, her happiness overwhelming her.

"Damn right, I put my job on the line for you." Doctor Lowen said stiffly, but there was kindness laced through it.

"Why?" JJ asked. "Why not just stay out of it?"

Doctor Lowen looked at his shoes briefly. "Because I know the feeling you're experiencing, and I couldn't stand to sit back and watch you worry."

Emily couldn't help the grin that formed on her lips. Doctor Lowen winked at her playfully, and she did the same, beaming.

Finally, something was going right.

XXX

Rossi walked down the hall aimlessly, his worry and regret pooling inside him.

The team had been through too much of this. This all consuming darkness that followed them around like one of the unsubs they hunted. How much longer could they stay sane? How much longer before they broke?

There was very little light anymore. Actually, almost none of it. And after what they'd just been through, he wasn't sure they'd see light again.

Sure, they'd put a smile on their faces when with eachother, but it wasn't a real smile. There was nothing behind it; just faked enthusiasm for the sake of their collective sanity.

David passed by several rooms, refusing to look in and see more struggling. If he did, he might break.

As he passed another door, it seeming familiar, he stopped only because of the bright blonde hair that invaded his vision.

When Rossi fully looked in, he saw Garcia and Morgan, cuddled together on the hospital bed. The warmth that spread through him was special.

But what shocked him, was when Morgan leaned in and kissed Garcia. Not a peck on the cheek like usual. A real, sweep her off her delicate feet kind of kiss.

Well then.

"I guess JJ owes me twenty bucks." He said loudly, stepping into the doorway.

The two lovebirds looked back at him in surprise, confusion and a tint of flustered heat.

"What?" Morgan asked, and Rossi stepped closer to explain.

"I might have bet JJ that you two would get together by the end of this year." He said, a real smirk appearing on his lips.

"You bet on us?" Morgan asked, his face a mix of disbelief and slight annoyance.

Instead of waiting for him to answer, Garcia asked another question.

"How did you know? Penelope questioned.

"Just a hunch. There's too much UST between you two." He said, and chuckled at Morgan's expression.

"It's Unresolved Sexual Tension, sweetie pie." Penelope explained, and Morgan looked at David in an entirely new way.

"What, I can't have a sassy side?" He joked, and the two newly found lovers rolled their eyes.

And now he had a new hope. The warmth that filled him was definitely real. It was no fake illusion. The smile on his face was genuine, as was the other's.

Maybe, just maybe, they could survive this.

Maybe there was light in their lives after all.

**I'm aware this is terribly late, but my computer decided to go all unsub on me, break and delete all that I was in progress of writing. So yes, my other stories will be a while as I have to re-write them. I'm so sorry, xo**


	21. Chapter 21

_Disclaimer: I only own my imagination!_

**No Such Thing.**

Reid immediately smelled that terrible, overly clean, sanitary, scent that he and probably everyone else immediately linked to hospitals. It was overpowering.

The next thing he felt, was a numb, tingly feeling that was resonating from his chest, arms and shoulder. Somehow, his brain couldn't connect it to anything of import.

As well as this, he distinctly heard the annoying, repetitive beeping that was no doubt coming from a heart monitor. His brain tried to go wild, linking this to surgery, pain and danger, but he managed to keep control.

Then he realized he had his eyes closed. With great force he tried to left his lids, but found it strangely difficult and trying to do so. They fluttered, and he was greeted with a green-blue light, that he linked to the color of most hospital rooms.

As he did so, his fingers twitched, sending an odd, cold ache through him. He tried to pass it aside and focus on waking up from whatever medically induced sleep he'd been in for who knows how long and who knows why.

Finally, his eyes, heavy as they felt, opened. They were dry as he scanned his surroundings. Immediately he confirmed that he was in a hospital room, and that he was badly injured. He couldn't remember why, and warily ignored that as he looked for more clues.

He watched the hallway, nurses passing, hustle and bustle. He focused on one nurse in detail, her long black-brown hair grabbing him. She was filling out a form hastily, her silver pen reflecting in the-

Boom.

He remembered. It flashed before his eyes like an old movie reel, causing his breathing to stop all together.

The silver knife breaking his skin, over and over. The pain shooting through him, stab after stab, cut after cut. Those evil blue eyes, bearing into him.

And then the worry. The worry that froze his heart like a pause button on a movie. It was cold, strong and painful. That worry was for the team. For his family.

He could remember them being worried for him, and he himself shooing it off, despite knowing his chances were slim.

And then...Emily. His Emily. The story of their experience over the last however long they'd been trapped flashed in his mind, dangerously affecting his heart.

Her being taken away, her screams causing him to break apart. Her returning, losing consciousness and making his legs go numb. Him awkwardly looking down at her and coming to the agonizing conclusion that she'd been tasered.

And then...God, Hubbell choosing him to stay behind. He'd done it, of course, to save them. Oh no...then Emily had been so stupid, and come back, sacrificing herself for him.

After that it was somewhat blurry, but he remembered his relief when Hubbell was killed. They'd gone outside to wait for...Oh lord, she'd kissed him. Emily had kissed him!

And then, with a shock to his heart (and an intense beeping from the monitor), he realized he was in love with Emily Prentiss, and he had no idea where she was.

"Mr Reid? Spencer?" A nurse said, rushing into the room. "Calm down, you're okay, you're in the hospital-"

"I know where I am!" He managed to say, still trying not to hyper-ventilate.

"Alright, now-" The nurse again tried to speak, but he cut her off.

"Where's my team? Where's Emily Prentiss? Is she okay? She has to be okay, I..I need- need to..." He tried to keep his breathing in check, but lost it at the thought of her not being okay.

"Mr Reid, please," The nurse pleaded, checking his vitals. He ignored her, his heartbeat in his ears.

"Nurse, I'll take it from here." A man in the doorway said, and walked inside.

"Reid, I can answer all your questions." The man said. "My name is Doctor Lowen, and I'm your doctor, as well as your team's."

"Are they okay? And is-"

"Relax Reid. They're all fine. Emily as well. She'll have quite a recovery ahead of her, almost as rocky as yours will be. But she's fine." The doctor said, and relief flooded over Spencer, his body visibly flattening.

"Thank god." He muttered, the realization taking shape in his mind.

"Alright, we're gonna need to do some tests..."

XXX

Garcia awoke to a giggle, and opened her eyes to see JJ in her room, a bouncy Henry in her arms.

"Hey sleepy head." Morgan's voice came from beneath her, and she realized she'd fallen asleep on his chest, legs intertwined.

"Uh...hey. Hey Henry! When did you get here, buddy?" She asked, more than a little out of it.

"About an hour ago." Will's thick accent said.

Penelope looked over to see him sitting beside JJ, a worried, brooding look on his face. Beside him was Rossi, who probably hadn't left their room at all.

"Uh...how's Emily? Any news on Reid?" She asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes.

"They're gonna move him to Emily's room soon. Hotch is with her at the moment. He's waiting for Jack to get here." Rossi explained, finger twitching.

No doubt, they'd been through more than hell the last few days. But really, what they needed now was family. Innocence. Purity. Everything that Jack and Henry were.

Penelope looked back up at the toddler, who was poking his mommy in the forehead, causing her to wince, yet she made no effort to stop him. In fact, there was something in her eyes indicating she desperately didn't want him to stop.

Garcia then realized something. Just having the boy here...just having playful innocence around them was enough to start the healing. Nightmares were still pushing at her brain, daunting her. But, with the light in the room brought from not only Henry, but also his father, the darkness stayed at a managable distance. At least for now.

"When can we see him?" She asked immediately. Derek stroked her back carefully, and she tried to ignore the new found butterflies it rustled up in her stomach.

"Not for a little bit." Morgan answered, and regretfully, she nestled into the crook of his neck.

XXX

"Why?" Emily begged pitifully, the all consuming worry, need and passion beginning to wear her down.

"Because, the nurses need to do a few more tests." Doctor Lowen answered. "You said it yourself, we have to make sure he's okay."

"I know, but can't they speed it up?" She pleaded, restless.

Emily fidgeted, running a hand through her tousled, messy hair. She could feel dry blood within it, and cringed, memories at the back of her mind.

"Please? We really need him here. I can't describe to you how much he is the glue of our team." Hotch added, and Emily didn't even look up in shock like she would have a few days ago. It was different now.

"Our family." Emily corrected, moving her eyes to Doctor Lowen's, ignoring the blue color of them.

He groaned, and she felt hope flutter in her.

"Man I'm turning into a damn pushover." He grumbled. "Fine. I'll try. When they ask you to review us, you better reflect upon this."

"Of course." She and Aaron said at the same time, and she looked to him, faint smirks on both faces.

Doctor Lowen left, muttering under his breath what she could only imagine as angry arguments to himself.

"You know...We might make it out of this." Hotch said suddenly.

Emily looked up at him, her face blank. Inside was different, swirling with profiler instincts, worries and darkness.

"We will." She told him. She knew it was purely for her own sake, but she said the words firmly; forcing the idea into the mind.

"But...I didn't do...I didn't do enough. I let you get hurt...I didn't stop Spencer...I wasn't a leader." Hotch stuttered, and she noticed his face crumple slightly.

With a shock, she came to the conclusion that he was crying. Aaron Hotchner was crying.

"You were. A leader's job is to keep things optimistic, level headed and rational. You did all that." Emily reassured, wanting to move and sit with him, but deciding against it in favor of her throbbing pain just about everywhere.

"That's not what a leader's supposed to be in the FBI. There's different standards. A different job." Hotch argued, his voice cracking.

He crooked his head, massaging his scratched temple. The bandage around his chest was thick and obviously tight, and suddenly she was glad she'd made him lie down on the couch.

"Well none of what happened was part of the job description and you know it. Don't self destruct Hotch. You'll kill yourself for the rest of your life for no reason." She explained. He said nothing, but made a small, muffled noise that she assumed to be a held back sob.

"I...I can't just..."

"Listen to me Aaron. You saved us. You negotiated and got us out of there. You planned, you thought ahead, you kept sane. Without you, every single one of us would be dead, or being tortured right now. In the end he would have killed us all." Emily explained, terrifyingly calm.

"So you listen. You saved us. We owe our lives to you-"

"It was a group effort." He interjected, and she resisted to urge to roll her eyes.

"Regardless Hotch, what happened, happened. We can't change the past and right now we need to stay rational. For everyone's sake, including our own. This was, still is, and always will be a grouped sanity. If one of us crack, we'll all crumble." She finished, the air seeming dense around her.

"We...we can do this." Hotch repeated, like a mantra. "We can."

"Damn right." Emily said, but there was no flare to the words.

They drifted into a silence only interrupted by the occasional sniff, half sob, or terror tinted snore.

XXX

Reid's stomach was pooling with anxiety as the nurses wheeled his bed down the hall, narrowly avoiding corners.

Just the thought of seeing his family again...especially seeing Emily. His body was on auto pilot.

"Alright, here we go." Doctor Lowen told him, and his nerves froze in anticipation.

They turned his bed into a door way, and he held his breath, his entire body going ice cold.

He didn't blink, for fear of missing that first glimpse of-

Emily.

She was lying in her hospital bed, bruised and bandaged. Her hands were visibly shaking and her hair was messy and knotted.

And yet she was still unbelievably, stunningly, amazingly radiant.

She looked up, her eyes brightening. Her smile was beautiful, and in that second, he fell in love all over again.

"Spencer!" She uttered, her voice like chimes.

"Uh...hey."

"Thank god you're okay. I was so...I was so worried." She stuttered out, and he took a deep breath.

"I'm fine. I would never leave you guys." He said honestly.

...

Reid moved his vision from Penelope to Derek, amusement spreading within him. He had always seen the two together, and seeing that it finally happened, he couldn't help but grin to himself.

The whole team was in his and Emily's room, seeing as though neither were going anywhere with their injuries.

"You know, when I was with Hubbell, I couldn't stop thinking about you guys." Reid admitted out of nowhere.

Emily squeezed his hand, spilling a warm feeling through his veins.

"I defeated him mentally, you know. I out profiled the hell out of him. You would have been proud Hotch." He teased, the small rib feeling cold and foreign.

"I am proud." The leader told him, his eyes earnest.

"How'd you do it?" Morgan asked, his arms tightening around his new found special Penelope.

Reid forced out painful memories. His chest tingled with remembered pain and his eyes pricked.

"Uh, I convinced him he'd chosen the wrong person because he get's off on fear, which I had none of." Reid told them, rubbing Emily's hand.

"I don't understand..." JJ admitted, waving to Henry, who was in the hallway with Will and Jack.

"My fear was purely based on the safety of you guys. You have to understand...You're my family. The closest I've ever had to real family, and real friends. I love all of you. And I couldn't stand to see you hurt." He said, looking at his diamond patterned hospital sheets.

"But when he took you out of the equation by letting you go, I knew you'd find a way out. There was no fear anymore." He told them, taking a resonating sigh.

"Just pain." Rossi finished for him, and Reid nodded slowly.

"Yeah. I tried not to scream. I didn't want you coming back." He said purposefully, looking at Emily in a sarcastic anger.

"Don't you start Spencer. You'd be dead if it wasn't for me." Em argued, squeezing his gangly hand.

"Well you'd be dead if it wasn't for JJ." Reid told her.

"I'd be dead if it wasn't for Rossi." JJ stated.

"Well I'd be a goner if it wasn't for Hotch." David announced.

"So would I." Derek added.

"I'd be stabbed to death if it wasn't for JJ and Garcia." Hotch admitted.

Everyone looked to Garcia, seeing as though JJ had already spoken.

"Well I'd be dead if...oh..." She trailed off. Garcia hadn't been saved.

"You saved yourself Baby Girl." Morgan said warmly, wrapping his arms around her.

"No. He didn't wanna kill me. Just have his...fun..." She muttered.

The room went silent, everyone looking at Garcia with solemn eyes.

"Reid was right you know." Penelope added. "We're a family."

"I feel safer with all of you than with anyone else." Emily put forth, running her free hand through her gorgeous hair and smiling at Reid, who experienced butterflies.

"I'd die for all of you." Morgan told them firmly.

"We almost all did." Hotch stated.

"Guys...I know what we went through was terrible. Indescribable. But...we'll make it through this. We have each other. No matter what." JJ said, loud an clear.

Reid looked from person to person, trying to find his voice. It was trapped within him for some reason.

"We'll do this."

"We can."

"I love you guys."

"I'm here for everyone."

"We'll be okay."

"Regardless of what happened."

Finally, Reid found his croaky voice, and spoke.

"I promise this won't end us."

**AND IT'S DONE! Well, there'll be an epilogue, but other than that... I know it's taken FOREVER, but I'm proud of it 3**

**Review! If there's anything you want in the epilogue, lemme know!**

**xoxoxoxoxoxo**


	22. Epilogue

_Disclaimer: I only own my imagination!_

**No Such Thing.**

_**Epilogue**_

Emily looked at Reid, asleep in the passenger seat. His eyelashes cast shadows on his fair cheeks, and down across his relaxed lips. There was something about the way his newly cut hair framed his face that made him look amazingly stunning. And in that second, she fell in love all over again.

It had been two months. Two whole month since the Hubbell incident. Two months since they'd been captured, tortured, scarred and ripped from normality. Two months since she'd fallen in love with the resident genius, Spencer Reid. And two months since her terrified hours at the hospital.

It had taken the entire team so, so long to recover. They still hadn't emotionally, but physically was different. They all had scars that would never fade, sure. Reid's chest still pained him, and Morgan's shoulder still throbbed occasionally.

Emily could still feel the taser zapping her, biting her skin. But that wasn't real pain; it was imaginary. It was memories. Just like the nightmares.

The whole team, sparing no one, had nightmares. They were terrifying; utterly scream inducing. They forced them to wake up gasping, crying, and sometimes shouting in fear. But they were slowly but surely getting through it.

Spencer and her hadn't spent one night apart. They were always together, for fear of being alone, where the memories could catch up to them. When she woke up yelling, eyes streaming, he enveloped her in his long arms, calming her breathing. When he woke up sweating and crying, strangled gasps escaping him, she kissed his neck, and held his hands until he could catch his breath. They were attached at the hip, and for good reason.

Garcia and Morgan did the exact same. The two had been going strong, and never let a moment go without sharing their love. Hotch used Jack as a lifesaver, keeping him steady through the nights. JJ used Will and Henry, naturally keeping a balance. And Rossi had found himself spending nights with Hotch and his son, who welcomed him with open arms.

They all had their injuries. They were scarred, and they were fractured. But slowly, evenly, they were gluing the cracks back together; mending each other. It would be okay. She was sure of it.

...

Emily travelled into the bullpen with Reid holding her hand, his skin warm and comforting against hers.

Hotch smiled down at them from the walk-way, and JJ hugged them both protectively, a habit she'd developed since their rescue.

They'd all gotten habits. Emily had started to continually check that everyone was around her, each safe and happy. Hotch had begun to text Jessica constantly, reassuring himself that Jack was alright. Rossi started to constantly rub his forehead, as if to remind himself he no longer had a concussion. Morgan and Garcia had begun to constantly look over to each other, and just stare. Just make sure that the other was alive, breathing and well. And Spencer had gone back to staring at his hands, which shook on and off since the moment he'd been reunited with them at the hospital.

Regardless of the habits though, they'd started to return to normal interactions and actions. Banter had started up again, and the occasional timid prank between Morgan and Reid.

The team, more like a family now, gathered in the briefing room, as they'd done every day since they returned to work.

Once they'd seated, Penelope and Morgan leaning against each other, Emily and Reid holding hands, and JJ, Hotch and Rossi together at the end of the table, Emily spoke up.

"So...Spencer and I have an announcement." Emily said, her hand unconsciously moving to her stomach. She'd taken the test this morning, and when it had come back positive, she'd purposely waited to tell Spencer.

"We do?" He asked and she looked into his amber eyes as they spoke.

"Yes. Spencer...I'm pregnant." She said, and watched as his face lit up.

"You...you're...you are?" He asked and she nodded with a teary laugh.

"That's...that's amazing." He nearly whispered, and kissed her, one of his gentle hands covering hers on her stomach.

Butterflies fluttered in her heart, and when they pulled away, he touched his button nose to hers in an Eskimo fashion.

"Congratulations my babies!" Garcia exclaimed.

"You guys are too adorable. Congratulations!" JJ cooed, putting a hand on Emily's shoulder.

The rest of the team offered their smiling congrats as well, and Emily accepted them with a proud grin.

"They stole our thunder, huh" Morgan asked Garcia, and she nestled into his neck.

"Just a little bit Sugar." She said, and finally put the team out of their misery.

Penelope held up her hand, and moved her ring finger. A diamond sparkled in the light, and Emily felt her heart leap.

"You're engaged!" Emily asked with a shocked grin.

"Yep! Derek proposed last night. It was fantastic, like a fairytale." Penelope fawned, holding his hand, which had a matching silver band. Upon further inspection, Emily realized they both had matching green gems on them.

"A movie in the graveyard, credit goes to Pretty Boy for that one, then a walk, and I got down on one knee right beside her parents' head stones. I thought they needed to be a part of it." Derek added sweetly, and Emily felt Spence squeeze her fingers.

"Thank you for that my love. I know they're happy for us." Garcia said, kissing Derek lightly, both of their eyes fluttering closed.

"Congratulations guys! I better be a bridesmaid." Emily said with a wink.

"Of course my dove. JJ as well. I'd actually like Jayje to be my maid of honour. Of course I don't mean to offend you Em, I mean-"

"It's okay! Relax Pen." Prentiss said, leaning against Reid.

"Of course I will Penelope. Thank you so much." JJ accepted, her eyes becoming teary. "My babies are all growing up!"

"Oh shush, you." Morgan joked. "Actually, I just wanted to ask you guys to be my groomsmen. My sisters will be bridesmaids as well. And I was wondering if Spencer, you'd be my best man?"

"Seriously?" Reid asked, taken aback.

"Of course, kid. You were so amazing while we were trying to get out of Hubbell's house. You nearly gave up your life for us. The least I can do to try and make up for that, is honour you this way. I love ya man." Morgan said, and Emily watched as her boyfriend grinned, blushing.

"Of course I will." He said, and beamed. "And I didn't nearly die, I'm not stupid."

"Oh we know." Rossi joked, touching his forehead.

"I would never have left you." Spencer told Emily, and rested his forehead against hers, their eyes so close she could see the beautiful crystal like specs in his orbs.

"Well...uh, Jack won his soccer game last night?" Hotch said, it seeming meek compared to the announcements of the day.

A strangled giggle escaped Emily's lips, her unable to stop it. Then Reid began to laugh as well, and then Morgan and Garcia. Soon JJ, Rossi and Hotch joined in.

They laughed until their cheeks were red, their lungs hurt and their smiled ached. Emily made eye contact with every single one of her family members, all of them with their eyes alight with euphoria.

Finally, she looked to Spencer, who still had a hand on her stomach.

His eyes said it all.

_I love you._

**Aaaaaand it's done! FINALLY! I know the epilogue was shirt, but that's how I wanted it. Hope I didn't disappoint! A sequel may happen eventually, but not for a while. **

**Wow...my first CM story, finished! Yikes, this is a big bittersweet moment. **

**Thank you so, sooo much for sticking with me! I love you all to death.**

**Xoxo**

**-Sierra**


End file.
